Running on Fumes
by ejjcullen
Summary: Out for a run and trying to avoid the world, Bella stumbles upon her new next door neighbor, Edward.  Is this meeting accidental, or is there more to it? And promises made in the heat of passion don't have to be kept, right! Rated M for language & lemons.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:***I own nothing***

Running on Fumes

By: ejjcullen

Crunch…crunch…crunch…

The sound of the gravel beneath my feet propelled me further down the shaded, tree lined trail. I had yet to run this far down the trail before, but the thought of starting my senior year tomorrow morning was enough to fuel my frustration leading me to run a little harder, a little further.

When I approached the small clearing I came to a halt, bending over to lean on my knees gasping for breath. My lungs burned with each cool breath I forced into my expanding chest.

I pulled on my ear buds, as the throbbing in my head rang out loud and clear through my ears. I had no clue why I even wore my ear buds, my Ipod which was strapped to my upper arm was never even turned on as I started my run this morning.

As my gasping breaths slowed I stood up and raised my arms to rest on my head expanding my lungs to allow each breath to go deeper as I took in my surroundings. It was still early and the fog that had lifted on the main road had yet to leave the tree covered sanctuary casting everything into a slight glow.

It was absolutely beautiful at this hour. Each tree was damp from the constant collection of moisture in the atmosphere that is Forks, Washington, and the colors resembled that of a paint palate displaying the various greens and browns of the forest.

I took a few moments to stretch my legs now that my breathing was under control. I sat on the cold, moist ground with my legs out in front of me and leaned forward to grasp my toes and felt my hamstrings pull.

I counted to thirty in my head as I relished the calm and quiet that encircled me. Suddenly the sound of approaching footsteps brought me out of my thoughts. As the footsteps got louder I glanced over my shoulder and saw the blur of a man as he ran past me.

My eyes followed the blur of black running shoes as they slowly rose to see tight, toned exposed calf muscles, black running shorts, a long sleeved black shirt, to the mess of bronze hair atop the runner that blazed past.

I had never seen another person in this area before, and certainly not at 6 am on a Sunday morning. I finished my stretches and decided to cut my exploration short and head back home. I was not in the mind set to even give the nod of acknowledgement that runners exchange when they pass each other.

I replaced my ear buds and decided to actually play my Ipod on my return home. I was about a mile from home when I felt the strain in my right hamstring. I pressed pause as I slowed to a jog for another half mile. I heard the mystery runner's footsteps approaching quickly and decided to ignore the pain in my leg and simply sprint the last stretch of my run home to avoid any interaction. I could hear my panting breaths mix with his as he got closer. The pain in my hamstring was becoming unbearable and affecting my stride, making me favor my right leg and beginning to limp.

I could see my driveway just ahead. I tried to push a little further to end my agony, but the burning sensation shooting through my muscle was too much and I hobbled off to the side of the main road and onto the beginning of the front lawn of my new neighbors. There was only 1 driveway separating me from my destination.

"You didn't have to hurt yourself just to avoid me" a velvety smooth voice said from just behind me. I felt his hand on my back as I bent to the side to massage my hamstring. I was gasping for breath and as I turned my head to speak to this mystery runner I took in his face for the first time. He was absolutely stunning – perhaps even more so with tiny beads of sweat dripping down his face and neck.

"I…I wasn't," I stuttered.

"Really Bella?" he said, "you're a terrible liar."

"How do you know my name?" I asked, shocked that this stranger seemed to already have a handle on who I was, when I obviously had no idea who he was.

"The chief told me," he said, as if that was the logical explanation. "I'm Edward," he continued as if I should already know who he was. His surprised expression seemed to clue him in as to the fact that I didn't know who he was.

"I'm your new neighbor," he said and pointed to the house in front of us as if to clarify his explanation.

"Oh," I said, at a loss for words. "Welcome to Forks." I attempted to straighten up and walk off his yard to my own, when the pain in my hamstring actually caused my right leg to buckle under my weight. Edward grabbed me around the waist just in time to prevent me from going face down into his immaculately manicured lawn.

"Whoa, easy" he said, "I think you pulled your hamstring. "Here, sit down and lets see if we can stretch it out." He carefully let me down into a seated position and then kneeled down in front of me. I was suddenly self conscious as he raised my right leg a few inches off the ground and then onto his thigh. He pulled me forward slowly by my shoulder to stretch the muscle until I grimaced a little.

"Too much?" he asked, indicating that he had pulled me forward to far into the stretch.

"A little" I admitted leaning back slightly. He smelled absolutely delicious even after having just run several miles. He ran his hand slowly from my calf up to the middle of my hamstring where he tenderly began to massage the muscle.

I inadvertently moaned slightly at the gesture and quickly flushed with embarrassment. Luckily, my face already felt hot and I presumed pink from my run so it was easily covered up. Upon hearing my moan, he smirked slightly but quickly tried to cover it up as he continued his assault on my leg.

"This will be better if you lay back" he said as he slowly pushed my shoulder back until I was flat on my back in the plush grass. He ran his hand back down to my ankle and then raised it until my foot lay on his shoulder. My dark gray Nike's were a stark contrast to his bronze mop of hair. He pushed forward with his hips against my leg creating enough of a stretch to ease some of the pain.

To the outside observer the positions we were in would seem intimate and inappropriate at best. I heard a car door slam and was brought out of my thoughts and looked up to see my father placing a gym bag into the back of the cruiser. I quickly pulled away from Edward as my father looked over and saw us, waved and then began walking our way.

"Hey guys," my father said as he reached us. "Gees Bells, what did you do this time?"

"Hi dad," I said pulling away completely from Edward and getting up to my feet. "I pulled my hamstring."

"Yikes, you ok kiddo? Do I need to take you to the clinic?"

"Nah, I should be fine. Nothing a good stretch and some rest couldn't cure," I said trying to brush off my injury.

"Alright, well, take it easy today Bells. How you doing Edward?" He asked.

"Doing well sir," Edward said, "just getting back from a run myself when I came across this damsel in distress." He threw a thumb in my direction to aid in his description of me as the "damsel".

Clearly my father and Edward have met. I wonder when this transpired. Clearly it had to have been recent as the house that Edward and his family currently live in has been empty and on the market until just the other day. I had seen the moving van come and go, but had yet to see a living soul on the property.

My father and Edward continued to exchange pleasantries as I stood to the side not knowing how to leave the conversation without drawing attention to myself.

"Well Edward, say hi to your Mom and Dad for us," My father said as he turned and headed back to the cruiser. I turned to go with him as Edward called my name out making me stop and turn back to him while my father continued on.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Make sure you really do take it easy and ice that, it would suck to be limping around on the first day of school," he said with a wink.

"Uh, yeah," I said dumbly. "So I guess you're a new member of Forks High?"

"Yeah, I have to head into town a little later to pick up my uniform." He said.

"Oh, I have to pick mine up today too," I said remembering that it was on my _to do_ list for the day. "If you need a ride, let me know and I can bring you into town." I made the offer before my mind could tell me to shut up.

"Thanks that would be great. I have to get cleaned up and do some unpacking before I can, so if its ok, I can come by your house around 11?" he asked, a look of hope on his face.

"Yeah, that will work. I need to clean up and rest my leg a bit anyway."

"So I will see you later Bella," Edward said as he backed away headed in the direction of his house before turning completely around and walking up the front stoop and disappearing completely into the house.

I stood for a moment stunned. I couldn't decide if my hamstring was burning from the pull of my muscle or the sensation of Edwards hand from his impromptu massage. I also could not get the scent of him out of my head as I turned and headed home a little dazed from my first encounter with him.

I wasted no time at all stripping of my sweaty clothes and heading into the bathroom to shower. I twisted the knob to get the right temperature of the water then turned to grab a fresh towel out of the closet off to the side of the vanity. As I turned back to the shower I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. Ugh, I thought, not much has changed this summer other than the addition of tan lines thanks to most days laying out by the pool. I was still the plain old Bella – boring straight, brown hair, dull chocolate brown eyes, pouty lips, and a fit physique that was not very note worthy. I developed slightly over the past few years, but in my mind haven't seen any real change – slightly curvy hips, a flat stomach, breasts that were no more than a handful and I was certainly no J Lo when it came to my behind.

In the shower my thoughts returned to my encounter with Edward. He was devilishly good looking and based on the little interaction that we had clearly knew it. He obviously kept in good shape – and it was his tight build that was currently staring in my daydream. I imagined that our short run in was not interrupted by my father and that his hand had not only massaged my leg, but continued further up to the apex of my legs as he whispered sweet words into my ear. I was getting seriously worked up and could almost feel his breath on my neck and ear when the water started to cool making me realize just how long I had spent in the shower.

By the time I had finished up, dressed and did my hair and make up it was just about 9am. I sent a quick text to my dad letting him know my plans for the day and headed down to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.

Our kitchen has not changed since my mother left when I was eight. The cabinets were a pale yellow that matched the outdated curtains, the island was centered in the room with four stools that helped to served as our table, and the sliding glass door looked out into the backyard.

I grabbed a bowl and spoon as well as some cereal and milk then headed out the sliding glass door to sit on the side of the pool and dangle my legs into the cool water. The small amount of sun reflected off the water ripples created by my legs slowly moving back and forth.

I finished my breakfast and put my empty bowl off to the side on the cement and leaned back on my hands trying to bask in the last day of summer. I must have lost track of time because I was brought to reality by a throat clearing from just behind me. I saw his shadow grow larger as he approached me.

"You didn't answer the door, so I just let myself in through the side gate, are you ready to go?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, might as well get this over with," I grumbled, earning a questioning look from Edward. "I hate our uniform. The girls have to wear skirts and just in case you didn't know this already, it gets wicked cold here. Not exactly comfortable school attire."

"That does suck," he agreed as his gaze lowered to get a look at my legs. My shorts were pushed up a little so they wouldn't get wet from the pool water so Edward was getting a good show. I went to get up and grimaced a little as I put some weight onto my right leg. Edward quickly offered his hand to assist me which I gladly took. We walked around the side of the house to my car that was sitting in the driveway.

"Nice ride," he commented taking in the silver Volvo.

"Thanks," I said, "it's a consolation prize from my non-existent mother." It came out a lot feistier than I had intended. I hadn't seen my mother in almost 9 years, but I would receive the occasional outrageous gift come birthdays and Christmas each year to some how make up for her absence. My father, Charlie, and I would often laugh when they arrived. No gift would make up for a lack of mother, but then again, if Renee stayed she wouldn't exactly be a great female figure in my life. I was perfectly happy just Charlie and me – we had a close relationship and often spent weekends together fishing or watching baseball on the big screen. Although our weekends together had become fewer and fewer as he took on the role of Chief of Police.

"Sorry, I didn't realize," Edward apologized.

"No, no. It's totally ok. Renee is off gallivanting with her latest conquest and I am perfectly content receiving her offerings." I explained. He seemed to accept my explanation and the subject of Renee was effectively dropped.

"So tell me about your folks," I said as we got in the car and started off into town.

"Well…my mom works from home as a design consultant for a firm based out of Seattle, and my dad just started as the new chief of medicine at Forks Medical."

"Wow, impressive," I said. Edward just gave a slight nod and looked out the window gazing at the thinning tree line.

"What time does this place close?" he asked referring to the uniform store.

"4 o'clock I think, why?"

"What do you say about taking a slight detour?" he asked, turning to look at me and giving me the full effect of his piercing green eyed stare.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Pull over and park off to the side up ahead." I did as asked and pulled over onto a patch of gravel off to the side of the main road. I put the car in park and Edward quickly exited the car with me just a step behind.

"Come on, let's go a little further in."

"OK" I said following him into the plot of trees. We continued on for about a quarter mile until we could no longer hear the passing cars down on the main road. Edward took a seat on a patch of grass and lean up against a tree as he pulled a small, gray pouch out of the inside of his jacket pocket.

"Have a seat," he instructed, patting the ground beside him. I quickly obliged wondering what exactly he was up to. My curiosity didn't last long as he pulled out a lighter, a pack of papers and a small baggie of weed.

"Seriously?" I asked a little shocked that this is what he had in mind for a detour.

"What's wrong Bella, never got high before?" he asked raising his eyebrow at me in a sort of challenge.

"My dad's the chief of police," I said matter-of-factly.

"Aw, come on. I promise it will be fun. Besides it will take the edge off when it comes time to try on that uniform." I debated briefly before succumbing to the peer pressure and nodding my head. How bad could it be? I mean I really dreaded going to get my school uniform, and this might actually make the chore enjoyable.

Edward wasted no time rolling a joint then taking a hit before holding it out for me. This was my first time smoking pot, and I was a little apprehensive about doing it wrong and making a fool out of myself in front of Edward. He must have picked up on my apprehension, because he told me that it wasn't a big deal and to just relax and enjoy.

I grabbed the joint and took a small pull off of it. I could quickly feel the burn of the smoke hitting my lungs. I swallowed the need to cough and exhaled slowly as I passed the joint back to Edward.

We passed the joint back and forth and the interaction between us quickly relaxed as we fell into an easy conversation as we exchanged questions to get to know each other better. By the time the joint was finished I knew that Edward was from Chicago and had moved out here against his wishes when his dad got the job at Forks Medical, he was interested in the medical field himself and had aspirations to attend an ivy league school before going to medical school, he was a senior and enrolled in almost all honor classes, ran every morning except for Saturdays when he would sleep in, was an only child, and was extremely jealous that I had a pool in my backyard.

I had shared my dislike for small towns and the need to escape to a big city for college preferably with a lot of sunshine, that I wanted to focus on something generic like liberal arts or English in college, that I too was enrolled in most honor classes, that I enjoyed the occasional run but it wasn't an everyday habit, I was an only child as well and I even somehow agreed to drive Edward to school each morning until his dad got around to buying him a car. He promised to make up for all the rides when he finally got a car of his own.

I was high as a kite and enjoying this more than I thought I would. I giggled frequently and blushed scarlet red when Edward told me that he thought my laugh was cute. As our question exchange continued our bodies began to gradually gravitate towards one another. We were presently sitting should to shoulder as we leaned against the tree.

"So," Edward began, "do you have like a boyfriend or something?"

"No, I'm not exactly girlfriend material in these parts." I said with a hint of sadness in my voice.

"And why the hell not, I mean your hot as hell," he said with a smirk.

"I'm the daughter of the chief of police Edward, the guys around here are a little frightened of my dear old dad." I explained, feeling my heart skip a beat with his comment.

"Well, I met the chief, and he isn't that scary."

"Thanks," I said, looking away not knowing how to move the conversation to another topic.

"How's your hamstring?" Edward asked.

"Ugh, it still hurts a bit, but I guess I'll live."

"Here," he said, patting his lap "let me massage it."

"That's really not necessary," I said as my body made up its own mind as my leg somehow found its way into Edwards lap. He laughed lightly as he pulled me closer to him so that our foreheads were practically touching as he began to rub the muscle of my right leg.

I moaned slightly at the sensation of Edwards hands running up and down the back of my leg. Every time his hands would rise up close to my behind I could feel flutters in my stomach. He looked up when he heard my moan and we stared into each others eyes – just inches separated him from me.

"Does that feel good _Bella_" he practically growled my name.

"Yeah" I whispered and unconsciously licked my lips. Edwards's eyes zeroed in on the action and he too licked his lips. His hands let up on massaging and quickly found purchase on my hips pulling me across his legs until I was straddling him.

Within moments our lips were on each others and we frantically pulled one another impossibly closer. Another moan escaped my lips as Edward tightened his hold on my hips bringing me flush against his allowing me to feel exactly how he felt in this moment. I felt his tongue run across my lower lip seeking entrance and I gladly opened to him meeting his tongue with my own. Our kiss deepened as he began to rock me back and forth on his erection. His right hand slowly lifted from my hip to drag across the hem of my shirt before disappearing underneath as his fingers ghosted my flat stomach on its way towards my chest.

I silently thanked myself for wearing a cute baby blue bra underneath my t-shirt this morning, as Edward cupped my left breast. I pulled back slightly to catch my breath as I arched my back into his touch. His eyes were laced with desire, no doubt mirroring my own. His hand briefly left my chest as he lifted my t-shirt up and off as I did the same with his. I ran my hands up and down his toned chest and rock hard abs as he unclasped my bra and kissed down my neck.

Soft moans and deep breaths were exchanged as he began to bathe my chest with his tongue and mouth. I could feel moisture begin to pool between my legs as the fluttering in my stomach continued full force. As he nipped and licked my nipple his hands lowered to the top of my jeans. This was all new to me and I have experienced more physically with Edward today than I had with anyone else in the past, but my mind was having a hard time putting a limit on what Edward was able to do with me. I felt him undo my jeans as he bit my nipple playfully alternating attention between my left and right breast.

"Your tits are amazing," he moaned as he lifted me slightly in order to reach his hand into my pants. All I could manage in response was a few moans of approval as he toyed with the top of my thong. I leaned forward to kiss Edwards neck and shoulder as his fingers pulled away the fabric in order to fully reach between my legs.

I jumped slightly when his fingers rubbed along my folds. It felt absolutely amazing to be touched my him.

"Ugh, your so wet," he purred, "is that for me _Bella_".

"Ohh yes," I whimpered into his ear as I bit down lightly on the lobe earning a hiss.

"You like this don't you?" he groaned as he smiled against my chest.

"Ugh, yes," I gasped. The feel of his fingers running back and forth between my folds and hitting my clit on each pass was turning me into a mess.

"Tell me you like it," he teased as he thrust a finger into me.

"Ohhh," I moaned. Not able to form coherent words at the moment.

"I said tell me you like it," he said more forcefully as he began pumping his finger in and out of me.

"I like it," I gasped as I started rocking my hips to meet his fingers.

"Do you like the way I make you feel _Bella_," he whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"Yeah," I panted feeling the coil in the pit of my stomach begin to tighten.

"I can do so many things to you _Bella_, you would absolutely love it." he purred. "Let me own your body and take you to places you have never dreamed of going to." He began to pump faster and deeper as I gasped for breath. "Tell me your mine."

"Ohh, ohhh," I panted on the brink of my orgasm.

"Tell me," he growled as he pushed another finger into me.

"I'm yours, I'm yours," I practically screamed as I felt myself explode around his fingers.

"That's it baby," he said as I rode out my orgasm by slowly rocking my hips on his fingers.

As I began to catch my breath and come down from my high I suddenly felt self-conscious about what just transpired. This was not typical Bella behavior. In fact, I never do this. I couldn't meet Edwards eyes as he pulled his hand from my pants and I quickly did them back up and located my bra and t-shirt.

I could feel Edward's stare burning a whole into my back as he watched me carefully reattach my bra and pull my shirt over my head. I slowly turned to see Edward gradually bring his fingers to his mouth and suck my juices off that were left behind. He closed his eyes and moaned around his fingers as he slowly pulled them back out of his mouth.

"I knew you would taste sweet, just like candy." He said opening his eyes and meeting my shocked ones. "I meant what I said Bella, I plan on exploring every inch of that body of yours." His eyes scanned me from head to toe as I stood there with my jaw dropped at his words. "You better close that mouth baby, before I find something else for you to do with it instead." I quickly closed my mouth earning a chuckle from Edward.

"You're so sweet, so innocent," he said as he stalked over to me and grabbed my chin, tilting it up so that I was looking directly in his eyes. "I plan on changing that." With that he dropped his hand and started back in the direction of the car. I stood dumbfounded for a moment before following a step or two behind.

The entire walk back to the car I kept asking myself what I was doing. I had never done anything like this; I barely knew this person and yet somehow had made a promise to him that I know I couldn't keep. I would laugh this off later and keep my distance from Edward. I could easily come up with excuses for leaving early in the morning to avoid giving him a ride to school, and I would just keep my interactions with him to a minimum and definitely with others around. Those eyes of his could get me to do anything he asked, so if there were people around I am sure I could escape his stare. As I got back into the car, I no longer felt uneasy about Edward. I could do this, I would do this.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Running on Fumes

Chapter 2

By: EJJCullen

Entering the town of Forks is almost like being transported to the past. The town was straight out of _Pleasantville_. The stores were all family owned and passed down from generation to generation. Very few of my fellow classmates will actually leave Forks come graduation day. I, on the other hand, have plans to move to the other side of the continent to study at Dartmouth come next fall.

The town was busy as always on this Sunday afternoon; we passed Newton's Sporting Goods, Stanley Hardware, Yorkie's General Store and Weber's Pharmacy as we approached the store I dreaded most…Alice's Apparel.

Alice was just a few years older than me, and after she graduated she opened her shop in the center of town in the hopes of bringing in high fashion to the small town of Forks. Now she mostly tailors the school uniforms and struggles to sell her beautiful, yet non-practical, creations. She stays afloat due to Fork's uniform policy, homecoming and prom, and the occasional bored and wealthy housewife from Port Angels who is looking for a "one of a kind" ensemble.

I park on the street just outside of Alice's shop. It is on the corner of the main street and the window displays change frequently to showcase her latest design. Currently it's a mannequin form sporting a gorgeous, deep burgundy strapless dress that's fitted through the waist then flairs out slightly before flowing effortlessly to the ground. The dress is surrounded by leaves collected from the fallen trees around town and even has a backdrop photo of the gazebo from the center of town. All together it screams "Autumn".

Edward is out of the car quickly as I follow reluctantly, practically dragging my feet as we near my worst nightmare. Edward opens the glass door to the store and the chimes hanging from the doorknob alert Alice that she has customers. Alice appears out of thin air and startles me as she pulls me in for a hug.

"Hi Alice," I grumble as I pull away from the hug.

"Bella, I just finished your alterations, so you just need to try it on one last time to make sure it's the right length." She squeals as she drags me to the back of the store where there is a large fitting area complete with 360 degree mirrors.

I huff and puff and roll my eyes as she practically throws me into one of the four dressing rooms where my new uniform lays neatly on a plush bench. She yanks the curtain shut trapping me in the dressing room. I stare at my reflection in the mirror directly in front of me before slowly lifting the pieces of clothing that make up my uniform. The first item is the pale blue button down shirt, directly under it is the dark gray sweater vest with the school emblem embroidered just above the left breast, and finally the dreaded blue, gray and crimson plaid skirt. It's the skirt that I fear the most.

In the past three years that I have attended Forks High I have never gotten used to wearing that damn skirt. This year would be no exception. I felt my heart beat increase as flashing scenes of embarrassment played right before my eyes – tucking my skirt into my underwear after gym class, the back of my skirt bunching and riding up under my backpack as I climb the stairs to get to class, and the countless times I have slipped, tripped and fallen on every surface of Forks high school grounds allowing my ass to be on display.

I cringed and then mentally added _"buy more cute underwear"_ to my list, as it would no doubt be seen by most of the school at some point or another when I would fall.

Deciding to just bite the bullet, I stripped out of my clothes and put on the uniform. The button down was a nice fit, the sweater vest was no issue, and the skirt fit fine in the waist, but the length was too short for my liking.

"How'd we do?" Alice chimed in from just outside the curtain.

"Um," I replied trying in vain to come up with a nice way to say I hated it.

Before I could get any more words out, Alice had flung back the curtain and was smiling from ear to ear.

"Jesus Alice! Next time warn me." I shouted with one hand over my heart and the other trying to yank my skirt lower.

"Oh, it's perfect," she cried. "I wasn't sure if I shortened it too short, but now I can see it's just the right length for your long legs." She pulled me from the safe haven of the dressing room out to the small platform in front of the three way mirror that was located in the center of the four dressing rooms. Now on full display my cheeks burned red in embarrassment.

"I could probably go another half inch," Alice started, raising my skirt as she assessed just how short it could go without completely showing my crotch. I pushed Alice's hands away as I caught Edward's reaction in the reflection of the mirror. My eyes locked with his as he licked his lips. I felt myself get a little warmer as he slowly moved his eyes away from mine and down my body.

"Umm, Alice, its fine the way it is. No way is this getting any shorter. I am already going to have to tape it to my thighs to begin with!" I huffed pulling away from Alice.

She rolled her eyes in response before mumbling "oh that reminds me" before she walked off to fetch a small, white gift bag from behind the counter. She returned handing the bag up to me saying "lose the tape". I took the bag and quickly scampered off to my dressing room as I heard Alice address Edward.

"You can go ahead and stand on the platform while I get out my measuring tape," Alice said to Edward. I pulled the vest and shirt off of me quickly, while Edward was measured and then escorted to the dressing room just beside me. I paused as I was starting to undo my skirt.

"You didn't think it was too short, did you?" I heard Alice whisper to Edward.

"No, it's perfect; an _innocent_ length." I heard Edward whisper back. There was something about the way Edward said "innocent" that made think it was nothing of the sort.

"That's what I thought." Alice mumbled as she walked away.

"Hey," Edward said, as he pulled the curtain to my dressing room open and stepped in beside me.

"What the hell," I yelled grabbing my discarded shirt and holding it up to cover my chest.

I still had my back to him, but we could see each other clearly in the reflection of the mirror just in front of me.

"Don't worry, Alice went into the stock room to find a uniform for me, so we are alone." He explained.

"Doesn't matter," I said, watching him step closer to me. He was standing just behind me, so close that I could feel the fabric of his shirt against my exposed back and his breath on my neck making me shiver.

"What's in the bag?" He asked before he reached around me and started digging through it.

"I don't know," I said as I attempted to grab the bag, but Edward turned pulling the bag just out of my reach.

"Oh, nice" he growled as he pulled out the skimpiest, silk thong that I had ever seen. It was just a thin strip of pale pink – there was no way that anyone would actually wear that. It would cover nothing! It was dangling from Edwards pointer finger as he pulled it in front of my face before he moved back to stand just behind me.

"God, I could just picture you in this" he panted into my ear causing my skin to flush and goose bumps to appear. He dropped the bag and from where it landed just beside me, I could see it was filled with various colors of the same tiny strips of underwear.

"I…uh…" I stuttered, both mortified by the discovery of Alice's impromptu gift, and the close proximity to Edward.

"Shhhh," he breathed into my ear as he pulled me roughly against his body. I could feel his prominent erection dig into my back as he lowered his mouth to my neck without breaking eye contact from me in the mirror.

He softly bit the tender flesh of my neck as I unconsciously moaned. Hearing my reaction, Edward bit harder, no doubt leaving a bruise behind. He tossed the pink thong back into the bag before grabbing the shirt out of my hand and dropping it to the floor leaving me in just my skirt and bra. He licked his way up to my ear as he slowly ghosted his fingers up my arms and across my back to unclasp my bra before pulling it down my arms adding to the small pile of clothes on the bench.

I stood there paralyzed. "Get on your knees" he whispered into my ear. I blinked breaking the staring contest we had going in the mirror. "Don't make me tell you twice, _Bella_."

I could feel the pulse of pleasure radiating between my legs as I slowly turned and sank to me knees in front of Edward. "Good girl," he said as he started to undo his pants.

"What are you…" I started to say, but was quickly hushed from Edward as he explained that Alice would be gone for a while as she located all the items Edward had requested.

"The list isn't that long _Bella_, so I suggest you get to work before Alice returns and sees what kind of girl you really are." He snickered as he whipped out his long, thick cock.

"But…"

"I said get to work," he growled before grabbing the back of my head and pulling me towards him.

I was scared and aroused at the same time as I slowly opened my mouth and ran my tongue down the length of him. I could hear his sharp intake of air as I hollowed out my cheeks and took him in. It was absolutely sinful the way Edward could command me to do what he liked and my body was all for it. My mind was a little slower on the uptake and after I had already started with Edward's request my brain silently judged me.

I knew that Edward was taking advantage of me. My body was so quick to respond because this was the first male to every show me that kind of attention and it was clear that my body was in need, while at the same time my mind was pointing out all of my wrong doings. Edward must have felt me slow down, because he grabbed the back of my head and began thrusting into my mouth pushing himself down my throat.

"So good," he gasped as he continued to drive into my mouth. "Let me feel you swallow baby. I am almost there and Alice will be back any minute. You don't want her to find you on your knees like this, do you?" His eyes were dancing with excitement as he saw the fear enter my eyes.

"God, I can still feel you running down my fingers when you came _Bella_, and I can still taste you on my tongue." He moaned as I swallowed hard around him. "Yeah, just like that, take it like a good little girl."

I could feel myself getting wetter as he spoke to me. It was sick how turned on I was by this. The fear of Alice coming back had me working him good and fast. I could feel him twitch in my mouth before he pulled me forward shoving himself further down my throat as he came, coating my throat in him and forcing me to swallow.

"Perfect," he whispered as he released me and began redoing his pants. I quickly got off my knees and grabbed my bra and shirt off the bench throwing them on.

"I am just getting started with you baby." He said as he quickly kissed my temple and disappeared out of my dressing room.

I barely took a breath before I heard Alice re-emerge from the stock room and yell out to Edward that she had everything. I glanced at myself in the mirror and hardly recognized what I saw. There I stood with my skirt bunched up my waist, my t-shirt laying haphazardly over my hips and my hair in complete disarray from Edwards manhandling. My eyes were hooded with lust and my panties damp with arousal. Did I like this? Clearly I did, but was this even ok? I hardly knew this guy and already today I had done more with him than I had ever imagined. Before I entered this store I was imagining ways in which to avoid Edward and forget what happened in the clearing earlier. Now I was practically panting with need and wanting to repeat today's actions.

I shed the skirt and put my shorts back on as I gathered all of my uniform pieces and bag of thongs before going up to the counter to pay for my items. My breathing was finally under control as I paid for my uniform and Edward joined me at the counter.

"Isn't she great?" Alice asked Edward as she referred me. "How generous is she to be carting you around town so you can be ready for school tomorrow?"

"Oh, she is quite generous" Edward said meeting my eyes. "But I am sure I can repay her somehow." He raised his eyebrows at me as he goaded me on.

"Well, you keep an eye on her Edward, because she is too sweet for her own good." Alice said turning her back to us to bag all of Edwards's clothes.

"She certainly is," Edward said as he raised his fingers up to his mouth licking them. I was practically panting with need as he slowly pulled his fingers out of his mouth bringing them to my chin as he slowly raised it to close my mouth which hung open.

Alice bid us farewell and told us to let her know if there was anything else that we might need to just let her know. After exiting the store I threw my bags into the backseat of the Volvo before getting into the front seat. Edward was already seated when I closed the door and started the engine.

"I can practically smell you," he purred as I made my way through town headed back out towards our houses. "Who knew you would get so turned on like that." He said that last part in awe, as if he just discovered the Holy Grail.

"Edward, stop. I don't know what your deal is, but this is not happening…" I started.

"Oh it certainly is _Bella_," he growled. "And you're loving every minute of it, so stop pretending that you're some innocent victim here. I bet your soaking wet right now."

He didn't need to say anything further. I was practically sitting in a puddle. I avoided eye contact the entire way home and as I pulled into my driveway, I contemplated what I would say.

I didn't get very far before he leaned over, placed his hand high up on my thigh as he leaned into my ear and whispered "lets go for a swim".


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Running on Fumes

Chapter 3

By: EJJCullen

I sat there completely frazzled.

"Ok," I said. "Go grab a suit, and I'll meet you out back by the pool." He nodded in response and exited the car headed in the direction of his house next door.

I sat for another moment to collect my thoughts. Why is it that whenever he looks into my eyes I just can't say no? I exited the car headed up the walkway to the house. I left my shopping bags on the floor by the stairs so I would take the up the next time I went. After dropping my car keys and cell on the kitchen table, I headed out the back sliding glass door towards the pool.

Outside we had a shed that Charlie converted into a bungalow of sorts where we kept all of our swim suits, towels and anything else pool related. Off to the side of that was an outdoor shower that was primarily used for when we got home from a day of fishing, or when I wanted to rinse off after swimming. I opened the door to the shed and pulled on the chain just above my head to turn on the light, casting the small room into a yellow haze. All the towels were lined and folded nicely on the shelf along the far wall. To the right was a bench that opened for storage, and off to the left were large bins that contained swim suits, sun screen, and old magazines and books I would read while sunbathing during the summer.

I pulled open the bin closest to me that contained my bikinis when I heard someone speaking in a hushed tone. I stopped what I was doing and crept over to the edge of the shed where there was a small window used for ventilation. If I stood on my tippy toes I could just make out the top of Edwards hair, but I could hear him much clearer. He must have been on the phone because all I was hearing was one side of the conversation.

"Yes, Dad, I know…I don't think that's necessarily true…are you sure that will put a stop to it? I don't want to take any chances, it needs to end completely…no loose ends, I can make sure of that…it has to be foolproof on your end…she can't find out or it will ruin everything…ok, I will update you by the end of the week, that should give me enough time…ok, bye."

I had no idea what I was supposed to take away from that. I clearly shouldn't have been listening in the first place, so it's not like I could just come out and ask out of the blue. I would just have to carefully file this away and then use it at a later date and time.

I heard the squeak of the side gate opening and slamming into place announcing Edward's arrival. In my haste, I turned quickly and knocked the bathing suit bin onto the ground with a loud thump. "Shit" I hissed grabbing fistfuls of bathing suits to throw back into the bin.

"Be-ll-a," I heard Edward sing-song, before he tapped on the shed door.

"Hang on Edward, I'm just changing." I instantly cringed – like that won't spark his interest. I heard Edward chuckle just outside the door and then heard the familiar sound of the door being slowly opened.

"I thought I would lend you a hand," Edward said, stepping up and into the shed. I stood up and threw the last handful of suits into the bin. "Having a hard time picking one?"

"Nope, got mine right here," I said grabbing at random material from the top of the pile. I held up a bright yellow string bikini top as I internally groaned at my luck of the draw.

Edward crossed the small space and sat on the bench crossing his legs at his ankles and putting his hands behind his head while he leaned back against the wall – the epitome of relaxed.

"Let the show being," he said as his eyes moved to the bikini in my hand and back.

"Edward…" I started, but thought better of it and decided to use this to my benefit. "Ok, I have an idea…how about for every article of clothing I lose, you answer a question?"

"Fair enough," he said.

I realized quickly that I would have to make each question count since I only had a few articles of clothes to work with. I pulled my t-shirt up and over my head before folding it neatly and placing it on the bench next to Edward.

"Why did you move to Forks?" I asked as I stood up placing my hands on my hips.

"You already know that one." Edward replied as he gazed at my chest.

"No, I mean, why did you? I know what your parents moved here, but you only have one year left of high school, why didn't you just stay with a friend for a year to finish it out?"

His smile slipped for a moment, but he caught the slip quickly and had I blinked I would have missed it completely.

"Let's just say that my parents wanted me to start over too. We all wanted a fresh start." He said. Edward gritted his teeth around the word fresh – leading me to believe that perhaps the idea of a fresh start was for his benefit.

"Ok," I said as I began undoing my shorts and slowing sliding them down my legs before they too were added to the pile next to Edward. "Do you get along with your parents?"

"Sometimes. My mom isn't so bad, she stays out of my way and it's not like she even sees what is around her anyway. And my father is always busy with work."

I felt like I was dissecting his every word and movement. I only refer to my dad as "dad" except when I am mad at him then he is my "father". I wondered if Edward was the same way. He didn't go into much detail about his father, so maybe there is something more to that.

"Do your folks get along?" I asked, while unclasping my bra and tossing it towards the pile.

"Bella, my parents are complicated, but let's just say that we don't have the picture perfect family that they would like everyone to think we do."

Well, that was cryptic. I bent forward to pick up the top to my bathing suit when Edward leaned forward and grabbed my wrist. I looked up meeting his eyes and saw him just shake his head. I dropped the top to the floor and he went right back into his previously relaxed position. I slowly pulled my panties down and off my legs. This was the last question I had in my favor and I had to make it count.

"Do you ever think that your parents should just get divorced then?" I asked. Edward noticeably stiffened, so I continued. "I mean, my parents got divorced because my mom couldn't keep it in her pants and my Dad is better off without her. So am I for that matter, if she stayed around it would have probably gotten really ugly and besides, I am so much happier with it just being me and my Dad. I guess she found some rich guy now, hence the Volvo." I slowly looked up to meet his gaze and found his eyes were furious.

"Someone's hard earned money is paying for that Volvo, just remember that." He said as he stood from the bench. Edward approached me slowly, and did a slow circle around me – taking in my nude body from all angles. He bent down to retrieve my bikini from the floor, and handed it to me. As he stood there with the bikini in hand I noticed his eyes roam the shed and land on the ventilation window off to the side of the shed. His eyes lingered on it for a moment and then he left me in the shed to dress.

Wow, I thought, I guess I hit a nerve with dear old mommy and daddy. I pulled on my suit and left the shed to join Edward out on the pool deck. He had left his towel on a lounge chair and was already waist deep in the water with his back towards the deep end. I tossed my towel on the lounge chair next to his and dove in off the diving board. As I came up for air Edward was right in my face.

"Why are you so interested in my parents Bella?" he asked.

"I don't know," I lied, "I guess I just wonder what its like to have both parents all the time."

"Bella," he tisked. "You're a terrible liar. Did you by any chance hear me talking on the phone when I was on my way over?"

"No," I said, hoping that I was convincing enough.

"Cause if you were, it might be better to just tell me now, then it would be if I found out that you had lied to me. I really hate liars Bella."

I had two options here…I could lie, or I could fess up to overhearing his conversation. He already knew I was a bad liar, I've know that since childhood – my ears burn bright red.

"I'll ask you again Bella…did you over hear me talking on my phone?" he asked as he slowly stalked towards me while I backed away until I was up against the side of the pool.

"Yes." I said. "I didn't mean to listen and I swear I didn't hear anything."

"Thank you for being honest with me." He said, his eyes told me something different entirely – they were dancing with excitement. "Maybe you deserve a little reward for being so honest with me."

He picked me up and sat me on the side of the pool before pushing my knees apart to stand between them. His kiss started out slow, but quickly turned into a need to claim my mouth as his. His hands held either side of my face as he turned my head slightly. I opened my mouth to him without hesitation. I felt intoxicated by his scent and taste. I could feel myself getting more aroused by the minute.

His hands moved to my hips as he thrust his tongue into my mouth, dominating the kiss. I moaned as his fingers dug into my hips harder, I would no doubt have bruises there tomorrow. Suddenly, Edward pulled me forward towards him with such force that the back of my thighs were scrapped along the cement outline of the pool deck.

"Ow," I yelled, as I broke away from Edwards lips.

"Oh God Bella, I am so sorry," he said as he lifted me up and into his arms. "I didn't mean to hurt you." As his eyes met mine I could see nothing but sincerity and regret reflecting back. He was truly sorry.

"Ah," I hissed as the chlorinated water hit the fresh scrapes.

"The cool water should help with the burn and the chlorine will help clean out the wound," he said. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'll be fine." He hugged me to him and I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders while my feet dangled unable to touch the bottom of the pool.

"You really are so innocent," I heard Edward say just above a whisper. I don't think I was meant to hear it, so I said nothing in return.

We stayed like that for hours it seemed. Me clinging to him and him wrapped around me. It was surprisingly comforting and gentle, but all too soon the breeze picked up and my body was instantly covered in goose bumps. Feeling my shiver, Edward hugged me tighter and whispered in my ear that perhaps we should vacate the pool. I laughed into the crook of his neck and inhaled his scent deep into my lungs before nodding slightly. He helped me out of the pool and used the towel on the lounge chair to wrap around me as he rubbed his hands up and down my arms to warm me.

Edward grabbed the other towel, threw it over his shoulders and sat down on the lounge chair with his legs on either side. He caught my eyes and motioned for me to come sit with him. Without hesitation I sat down chris-cross style in between his legs with my back pressed up against his chest. He took the ends of his towel and use them to create a cocoon around us as he allowed me to snuggle closer to him. His chin rested on my shoulder as he lowered his hands to my hips. His fingers danced along the edge of my bikini bottom as he turned his head towards mine and peppered my neck with kisses.

I closed my eyes as I relaxed into him further as my breath picked up and his fingers dove under my bikini bottom. His warm hands sent a chill down my spine as he slowly ran his digits up and down my soaked slit. I was panting heavily when he finally pushed two fingers into me.

I moaned in pleasure as he slowly moved his fingers in and out of me. It felt so good and the coil in the pit of my stomach began to tighten. I could feel him getting hard against my back as he began to move faster.

"Do you like that _Bella_?" he whispered into my ear while sucking my lobe into his mouth.

"Yes," I panted, "you make me feel so good."

He chuckled at my words, and continued working me with his fingers. I could feel myself on the brink of my orgasm, but was suddenly interrupted as I heard the familiar sound of my dad's car door closing.

"Oh shit, my dads home". I said panicking slightly.

"Relax," Edward whispered into my ear as he continued moving his fingers in and out. "He won't be able to see what's going on under the towels Bella. Just act normal."

My heart was beating overtime as my head and body warred with each other to both stop and keep going. The decision was made for me when I heard the side gate creak open and slam shut as my dad walked over to the lounge chair that Edward and I were currently occupying.

"Hey guys," Charlie said taking a seat on the lounge chair next to us. "Get everything you need today?"

"Uh, yeah." I replied a little breathless from Edward's ministrations.

"Good. You want to stay for dinner Edward?" he asked.

"Love to, Chief." Edward said as he sped up his movements bringing me to edge once again.

"Edward, please, call me Charlie. I knew you two would get along great, didn't I tell you Edward?" Charlie said as he started to get up, smiling from ear to ear. "I'll order some pizza, sound good Bells?"

"Yes!" I shouted as fell over the edge and pulsed around Edwards fingers deep inside me. "Ugh, that sounds great dad." I rode out the remainder of my orgasm as Edward slowed his pace and finally pulled his fingers out of me.

"I'm on it," Charlie called over his shoulder as he headed into the house.

"I'll bring dessert." Edward whispered in my ear just before he brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked on them with a moan.

A little over an hour later, Charlie, Edward and I sat around the island in the kitchen eating pizza. Charlie and Edward were deep in conversation about sports as I tuned them out and began cleaning up the discarded pizza box and dirty plates. While I finished rinsing the plates and put them into the drying rack off to the side of the sink I overheard Charlie say "yeah, sure Edward, you have my permission." I had no idea what Charlie was giving Edward permission to, but somehow I had the feeling like I was not going to like it.

Charlie got up and headed into the living room to watch some game he commented on during dinner leaving me alone with Edward in the kitchen.

"So," I started leaning against the countertop and looking up at Edward. "What exactly was my dad giving you permission to?"

"To you," Edward said giving me a crooked smile and walking over to me.

"Excuse me?" I said not understanding.

"He gave me permission to date you," Edward clarified.

"Oh, but don't I have to give you permission?" I said as he caged me between him and the counter with his arms on either side of me.

"What, you don't want to go out with me?" he asked faking hurt, while his eyes danced with amusement.

"I don't even know you." I said truthfully.

"Well, I just figured I should make an honest woman out of you." He said as he lowered his head and began kissing my neck.

"We would have to be having sex in order for you to make an honest woman out of me." I said, leaning my head to the side to give him greater access to my neck.

"I don't think that's far off babe," he chuckled, "besides, I can smell how much I'm affecting you right now. I bet your soaking wet right now."

I could feel myself flush with embarrassment, he was absolutely right. There was something about him that my body was just attracted to, that it craved. My head on the other hand couldn't escape the feeling like there was something else going on with Edward.

Still smirking, Edward pushed off the counter after giving me a peck on the lips and headed out the back door. "See you in the morning babe" he called over his shoulder. I stood there still stunned by his words with my mouth hanging open in shock.


	4. Chapter 4

*Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Running on Fumes

Chapter 4

By: EJJCullen

I did not sleep. I tossed and turned throughout the night but could not shut my mind off. Edward Cullen was a complete mystery to me. He somehow got into my dad's good graces without even trying and in a matter of 48 hours! That has never happened, ever. Charlie never likes someone on first glance. Even friends I've had since kindergarten have just been moved to his good side. I can see how Charlie would be wooed by Edward, I have been charmed too. Edward has a very appealing and trusting exterior – I'm just not so sure about the inner Edward yet. He avoids answering any questions about himself, and when he does actually give you an explanation, it's vague as if he is hiding something. But what could he possibly be hiding?

As the sun started to rise, I got out of bed and sat on the bench beside my window to take in the new day. It had the ingredients of being a good day, but just the thought of starting my first day of school already brought the day down a few notches. The sun looked warm, but the breeze blowing through the trees made me shiver even within the confines of my toasty bedroom.

My bedroom window faced the Cullen home, and looking over, I could see Edward's mother on the back deck. She was sitting on a patio lounge chair wrapped in a bright pink bathrobe, hugging a mug of coffee and enjoying the beauty of a Forks morning. She looked calm and content just enjoying the quiet morning and basking in the rising sun. The same could not be said about the scene my eyes took in as I glanced at the house. In the living room, through the giant bay windows, I could see Edward and his father in a heated discussion. From where I sat, I could clearly see wild hand gestures from both men as well as yelling, strained neck muscles and, in Edwards's case, crazily pulling handfuls of hair.

I couldn't hear any words being said between the two, but I would bet my life savings that it had nothing to do with starting the first day of school. I glanced at the clock which read 6 o'clock on the dot – 1 hour to get ready.

One hot shower later I was seated at my vanity drying my hair and putting on the finishing touches of my make up while eyeing my school uniform which was hanging neatly on the hook just next to my closet. With a huff, I put down my hair dryer and decided to just get this over with. I dropped the towel and pulled on my shirt, vest, skirt, knee high socks and finished off my look with a pair of black converse sneakers. Finally finished I headed downstairs for a quick breakfast with my 10 minutes remaining.

Charlie left a note on the kitchen counter along with a plate of Eggo waffles.

_Bella, _

_Hope you have a great first day of school. I can't believe it's your senior year already! Throw the waffles in the microwave for about a minute. Sorry I had to leave early and couldn't say goodbye to you in person. Love you kiddo!_

_Dad_

I zapped the waffles and wrapped them in a paper towel to bring with me to eat on the road. Grabbing my bag off the floor and my schedule off the corkboard by the front door I headed out to my Volvo. On the bottom step I stopped short. Edward was leaning against my car looking absolutely sinful in his uniform.

Having gone to Forks High for the past three years, one would think that I would be immune to how guys looked in the school uniform, but that was before I met Edward. His pale blue button down shirt was stretched tight against his lean frame, the vest hugged his chest, and the gray dress pants fit perfectly highlighting his slender waist and toned legs. I was momentarily stunned at the sight before I caught my breath and continued on my way to the Volvo.

Edward shot me a lopsided grin as I rounded the front of the car and hit the unlock button on the keychain allowing him entrance into the car. I opened my door and got in only to find Edward leaning across the middle console to drop a kiss on my cheek and whisper _good morning_ in my ear. I smiled back, started the car and headed out into town towards the high school.

The car ride was quiet as we both watched the town pass us by. My anxiety started up as soon as we got off the main road about a mile from the school. As if sensing my unease, Edward leaned towards me once again and dropped his hand onto my thigh, just above my knee. Had I not been driving I would have surely jumped at his touch, but since my concentration was split between focusing on the road ahead and the start of the school year, I barely noticed his hand. Unlike my mind, my body instantly reacted to Edwards touch. My anxiety decreased, my breathing evened out and of course exhilaration pumped through my veins.

I pulled into the lot and parked in the senior designated spaces closest to the building. I cut the ignition and sat back glaring at the building straight ahead. Its not that I didn't like school, I did in fact. I excelled in my classes and enjoyed learning, but it was the social aspect of school that was my greatest downfall. I guess I have Charlie to blame for that – I was known as the "Chief's daughter". With that nickname came some teasing, limited friends, and absolutely no invites to parties. I was invited to a party once my freshman year and having been naïve I actually told my dad where I was going the night of the party, which resulted in him breaking it up, driving me home in the cruiser and being black balled from any social events in the future.

"You ready?" Edward asked as he opened the door and got out of the car.

I huffed a response he couldn't hear and got out of the car also. I pulled my bag onto my shoulder and hit the lock button on my keychain before heading in the direction of the brick building just ahead of me.

"Come on Bella, it's not that bad. In a few hours we will head home and maybe I can even make you forget about your first day." He whispered in my ear, earning a blush from me.

"Yeah alright," I said, now day dreaming of the day being finished and having some alone time with Edward as images of our lounge chair encounter flashed before my eyes.

I could see Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory stop dead in their tracks as Edward and I approached the overhang just outside the main entrance. On a typical day, I would earn a few snide remarks from them and then they would go about their day acting as if I did not exist. Today, they rushed right over to me.

"Hey Bella," Jessica said to me while her and Lauren's eyes stayed glued to Edward.

"Hey Jess, hey Lauren," I said back with no emotion.

"So who is your new friend?" Lauren asked, clearly jumping right to the reason that they were speaking to me at all.

"Oh, this is Edward. He just moved to Forks." I said, getting right to the point. "Well, I will see you guys later." I quickly ducked out of the conversation and headed into the building and over to my locker. I barely opened the metal door before Edward was behind me whispering in my ear.

"How could you just leave me like that?" he whispered. He was so close to me that I could feel his chest expand with each breath he took.

"Sorry, but I didn't feel like talking to those two. They only came over to talk to you anyway." I said.

"Yeah well, they were practically drooling on me." He said, rather disgusted by Jessica and Lauren. I tired to hide my satisfaction with his reaction to them, but I smiled despite myself.

"Oh, so you enjoy torturing me?" He breathed into my ear. My breath caught in my throat as he ran his tongue along the shell of my ear. I closed my eyes at the sensation.

"No," I panted.

"I'm going to make you pay for that one _Bella_." He promised, pulling me flush against his chest. My breath caught again, but this time with fear. He chuckled lightly, clearly confusing my reaction, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and left me to my thoughts at my locker.

I didn't see Edward again until lunch. Even though we were in all honors classes, our schedule, thankfully, was different. I did however hear Jessica and Lauren going on and on about how hot the new guy was throughout English, Math, and History. The two were scheming as to how and when they would conquer Edward. I tried to ignore their lame planning, but had a twinge of jealousy at the thought of Edward shifting his attention from me to them.

I took my typical seat in the cafeteria; small table, back corner, and pulled out a book to read while I ate my lunch. After a few peaceful minutes, I looked up to see Edward standing at the edge of my table wearing a smirk.

"Aren't you going to ask me to sit?" He asked, enjoying my shocked expression.

"Oh," I stuttered, "sure, have a seat". I moved my bag off the other chair and placed it on the floor next to me.

"So," he began as he settled in next to me. "How's your first day going?"

"Same as always," I said. "How about yours, after all, you are the new kid in town."

"It's not so bad. The teachers seem okay, but there are a couple of girls here that are a bit over aggressive."

"Let me guess…Tweedle Dee and Tweedle dumb over there?" I asked throwing a thumb in the direction of Jessica and Lauren.

"How'd you guess?" Edward said as he looked over to where Jessica and Lauren were sitting and staring at him.

We both snickered as the two girls continued to stare at him with glazed eyes no doubt dreaming about Edward. As we finished our lunches we talked more and I felt relaxed as the bell sounded signaling the end of lunch. I headed to Science Lab, Spanish and finally to gym.

Since it was the first day of school, in gym we had our annual "fitness test". It consisted of breaking into partners to perform a variety of activities while the gym teachers talked in a group and blew whistles from time to time. It was our responsibilities to record our times and what not on a sheet of paper that was handed in at the end of the period.

Dressed in our school issued gray shorts and matching Fork's High t-shirt I headed into the gym to join the others that were seated on the floor in the center of the basketball court.

"Alright, were going to break into partners, and complete the circuit around the gym. When I blow my whistle once you are to switch positions with your partner. When I blow my whistle twice you are to move onto the next station in the circuit. Grab a clipboard, pencil and record sheet off the table once you have a partner, and they go to an open station to begin. Any questions?" Coach Cope asked. She was the typical high school gym teacher/softball coach. There was a collective groan of understanding from the students as we stood to break into partners. This was by far the worst part of school for me; finding a partner. I always was the last to be paired off in class. I really didn't know why that was; I was a good student, could hold my own as an athlete, and didn't talk much. In my mind I was the perfect partner to have!

"So, you and me?" a velvet voice said, just over my shoulder. I didn't have to turn around to know that it was Edward.

"Uh, sure." I said, and looked up to see Jessica and Lauren shooting daggers in my direction before shifting my eyes to see Edward's smiling face. "I'll go get the clip board, you go grab a station."

I headed off to the folding table in the middle of the gym and over heard Jessica and Lauren talking.

"_Who does she think she is anyway? And why the hell would Edward want to even be around her? She is such a loser."_

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that it was me they were talking about. I was used to this from them. It's been an ongoing thing since the freshman year fiasco, but it still took a shot at my ego. I grabbed the clip board and glanced around looking for Edward. He was over at the pull up station…great. I rolled my eyes and then jogged over to meet him.

"Sorry, it was the only one left, I guess I took to long making up my mind. But hey, it's better to get this over with first, right?" He said with a hopeful expression.

"Yeah," I sighed.

"You ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I lied, feeling the tips of my ears burn.

"Bella, come on, what's up?

"Nothing really, just typical 'pick on Bella' crap." I said.

"Please, don't worry about what other people say. Besides, they are just jealous."

I felt myself lighten with Edward's words. He was right, who cares? Jessica and Lauren meant nothing to me. In less than a year I would never have to see them again. Only 180 days left I reminded myself.

Completing each station was easier said than done with Edward as my partner. During pull ups he would grab my behind to "help" me, sit ups his fingers somehow danced along the outside of my legs, and any time we had to hand over equipment to the other person his hands would linger holding mine a little longer than necessary. By the end of gym class I was turned on and wanted to spend some alone time with Edward.

As if reading my mind, he asked me over to his place afterschool. Usually I went home to do my homework right away, but I figured it could wait a little while. I parked the Volvo in my driveway and we walked over to his house hand in hand. As he opened the front door he was nearly run over by his father that seemed in rush to get somewhere.

"Oh, sorry bud." He said to Edward as he took a step back. "I was just called back to the hospital so I will see you later."

"Sure, see ya." Edward said pulling me through the doorway.

"Oh, Edward…" his father called, before holding his hand out for Edward to shake.

That was odd I thought, as Edward shook his fathers hand and then put his hand in his pocket while leading me further into the house. His father didn't make eye contact with me, and barely acknowledged that I was even there. I couldn't tell if it was the fact that he seemed in a rush, or if I somehow offended him in the ten seconds that I was in his presence.

"Is everything ok?" I asked Edward.

"Yeah, yeah, don't mind him," Edward said holding me tighter to him and placing a kiss on my temple. "He just has other things on his mind."

Edward wasted no time leading me up to his room. I barely saw the interior of his house; except for the foyer, stairs, hall and now his room. It was as if he was purposely keeping me from any other area of the house. He even left me in his room as he went downstairs to retrieve two water bottles and a bag of pretzels to snack on. When he returned with food and drink in hand, I was sitting on his bed looking around his impeccably clean bedroom. There was nothing out of place.

His bed sat in the center of his room, two night tables hugged either side of it with a lamp on one and an alarm clock and expensive looking camera on the other. The wall to the left had a long dresser with mirror and a small tray holding a couple of bottles of cologne. On the right was two doors; one to a bathroom and the other to a closet I presumed since it was shut and I couldn't see behind it. The wall just ahead of me housed another dresser that was much taller, a desk complete with laptop, and a flat screen TV that hung in between the two.

Edward placed the two bottles of water on the night table next to the camera and pulled his wallet and a couple of other items out of his pockets that I couldn't see. He put the bag of pretzels on the bed and then sat down next to me. He turned the TV on and then leaned back until he was sitting on the bed with one leg on and the other hanging off.

"Come here," he said, motion to the spot next to him in the middle of the bed. I crawled somewhat over his leg to settle next to him as he put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

We were reclined, slightly propped up on the pile of pillows at the head of his bed when he turned on his side and leaned into me.

"I really like seeing you in my bed _Bella_" he whispered as he began to kiss my neck.

"It's nice and comfy" I said, rolling my eyes as those words spewed from my mouth before I could come up with something better to say.

"You would look even better under the covers" he panted as he pulled me closer to him and shifted his hand from my waist to the hem of my skirt. I closed my eyes as his fingers danced along my thigh and his mouth traveled from my ear to my jaw.

"Here, have a drink," he said, handing one of the bottles of water over to me. I took a few sips from the open bottle of water and then handed it back to him since he had the top in his hand.

"What, you're not thirsty?" he asked refusing to take the water bottle back. I chugged the bottle until it was mostly gone and then he gladly took it from my hands. His fingers continued to play across my thigh as we watched 'Diners, Drive Ins and Dives' on food network. I was really comfortable and I barely remember Edward taking my shoes off as my eye lids got heavier and heavier.

I woke up alone in Edward's bed sometime later. I glanced at the clock which read 9:30pm. Wow, I had been asleep for almost six hours! I was under the covers in Edwards's bed and hand a pounding headache. The throbbing in my head only increased as I leaned over to grab the other bottle of water on Edward's night stand. I opened it and drank heavily washing down the bad taste in my mouth. After nearly emptying the bottle I sat up and threw the covers aside. My knee highs were on, but my shoes were on the floor. As I stood up I caught my reflection in Edward's mirror – my hair was a mess from sleeping I presumed, my button down shirt was slightly off a button, heavily wrinkled and sloppily tucked into my skirt which was slightly off center, and my vest was folded and sitting on the end of the bed.

What the hell was I doing in my sleep I thought with a laugh. I pulled my vest on, not bothering to fix the buttons and leaned down to retrieve my shoes. I pulled my foot up onto the bed, put my shoe on and was about to tie it when I felt a bit of a draft. I pulled my skirt up and little only to realize that I was commando – definitely not the way I started my day. With one shoe on and the other in hand I looked desperately around the room for my underwear. Since Edward's room was immaculately clean I realized quickly that they were nowhere to be found. My eyes fell on the camera on the night stand and for some reason I was compelled to pick it up. With shaky hands and panic rising in my chest I turned it on and was met with a black screen that read "no card on file". Taking a deep breath I put the camera back on the night table and decided to get the hell out of dodge.

Without even putting on my other shoe I opened the door to Edward's room and followed the path he led me through on my way up earlier. As I descended the stairs I could hear Edward's muffled voice further down the hall. I stopped and held my breath to hear him clearer.

"_Dad, trust me, its enough. I don't even think she will remember it. Besides even if she does I can come up with something. Just take the card, print them out, send them to Renee and be done with all of this bullshit."_

I couldn't breathe. Renee? That's my mom's name. What the hell was going on? Before I could think, a door opened and Edward emerged seeing me on the stairs. His eyes met mine and his face paled for a second before he caught the slip and smiled.

"Hey sleepy," he said as he climbed up the stairs towards where I was. "I was just about to come wake you."

"Who were you talking to?" I asked.

"Oh, my father, he was just asking about my first day and all." His voice never faltered but his eyes gave away his lie.

"Edward, what's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said too quickly, "it's getting late, and your dad must wonder where you are. Why don't you head home and I'll see you in the morning."

"Did we…" I started, but the words died on my tongue as Edward's lips curled into a smirk and his fingers rose to his mouth before he licked them.

"God you taste sweet," he groaned. My chest ached with lack of oxygen, I couldn't breathe and I couldn't make my legs move to get me away from the situation.

"And you look so damn good sucking my cock," he moaned as he palmed his crotch.

I gasped as he chuckled darkly, his eyes teasing me with the delight dancing in them. I pushed past him down the stairs and ran out the front door, across the yard to my house. My house was still dark signaling that Charlie had not returned home yet, not that I could face him in that moment anyway. I flew through the front door and up to my bedroom before crumpling onto my bed and let my tears fall. What the hell happened?


	5. Chapter 5

*Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Running on Fumes

Chapter 5

By: EJJCullen

I lay on my bed and cried. How did this happen? I went over the afternoon events in my head over and over again. I couldn't pin point how it had happened. I was so thirsty from crying that I went downstairs to grab a bottle of water. As I reached in the fridge and my fingers wrapped around the clear, plastic bottle it hit me. The water bottle! It was the only thing that made sense. Edward must have put something into my bottle of water! I remember him handing me the water bottle and practically daring me to drink more and more. It had been opened before he gave it to me. But what could he have put into it? A sleeping pill? Ruffies? My mind was spinning.

I couldn't exactly head down to Forks Medical to have my blood drawn and tested without having to explain to someone why I was doing it. Besides, Edward's father worked at the hospital, it would no doubt get back to him and lead to more and more questions. Then I thought back through all that had happened from the time I got to the Cullen's to the time I left. Edward and his father running into each other when we got to the Cullen's and then over hearing them talk on my way out. Somehow Edward's father was involved.

I took the bottle of water out of the fridge, downing it completely in one giant gulp. I could feel the cold liquid as it spread through my chest. I took the empty bottle out to the back of the house and dropped it into the recycling bin. On my way back into the house I glanced up at the Cullen's house which lead to another round of tears. Through blurry eyes I navigated my way back through the house and up to my bedroom where I once again crashed on my bed.

It was almost midnight when I heard Charlie's cruiser pull into the driveway. I had been crying since I left the Cullen's, and now I was a complete hiccupping mess. My eyes burned from the constant flow of tears, my head throbbed from being dehydrated and I did not want my dad to see me in this state.

I grabbed my bathrobe and ran to the bathroom to hide in the shower. I barely recognized myself in the mirror. It was just a zombie of myself that reflected back. My eyes were bloodshot and my face red from the constant stream of tears down my cheeks. I turned the water to the hottest setting and got in. Standing under the spray I did my best to remember the missing six hours spent in Edward's bedroom. My mind was blank. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't remember past Edward taking off my shoes.

"Hey Bells, I'm home." Charlie called from outside the bathroom door.

"Hi Dad." I called back, hoping my voice didn't give away my devastation.

"I'm beat, so I'm gonna head to bed. Love you kiddo."

"Love you too!"

I heard his retreating footsteps and closed my eyes as I let the hot water burn my skin. I was so numb at this point I couldn't feel the heat of the water as it turned my skin red. Eventually I washed my hair and body. As I moved the bar of soap around my body I wondered again what had happened and what places on my body had Edward touched. The water soon ran cold and I barely registered the difference. Looking at my pruning fingers I decided that enough was enough and turned the water off.

I wrapped myself in a towel, followed by my bathrobe and walked to my room. I turned off the lights and snuggled beneath my covers hoping to forget this day ever happened. I fell asleep quickly. My dreams played out like a movie. They consisted of random images interrupted by flashes of light.

_Flash_

A vision of me lying in a bed wearing my school uniform.

_Flash_

Same bed, but this time I was in my white, cotton bra with matching panties. My hair was a mess.

_Flash_

I'm awake and completely nude. My hands are behind my head in a relaxed position arching my chest out and smiling.

_Flash_

Someone's hands running up and down my body – massaging my chest, playing with my stomach, and easing my legs apart.

_Flash_

On the edge of the bed, legs spread wide, feet placed on the edge as someone's fingers slip in and out of my folds. I'm moaning, smiling, and moving my hips to meet their fingers.

_Flash_

Im kneeling in the middle of the bed, running my hands up and down my body, in my hair, and down to touch myself.

_Flash_

A burst of bronze hair.

_Flash_

"You're so beautiful, do you feel beautiful?" a familiar voice says.

"That's it, make yourself feel good, let me see you cum."

_Flash_

I look different, my eyes are dilated, my skin is flushed, and my smile shows satisfaction.

_Flash_

I'm on my knees on the floor; he's sitting, nude, on the edge of the bed.

"See something you like?" he teases.

_Flash_

I'm running my hands up and down his thighs; he's hard and ready for me.

_Flash_

I'm licking, sucking, and grazing his cock with my teeth. I hear him hiss and curse.

"God yes…harder…show me what a good girl you are…take it all…I wish I could see her face when she sees these…like mother, like daughter…"

_Flash_

He pulls my hair, thrusts into my mouth with wild abandon. Tears streak down my face.

"I knew you would like that…Ugh, swallow every ounce…"

I wake up in a panic, throwing a hand to my chest and gasping for air. Did that really happen? I look at the clock on my bedside table…three o'clock. Its dark out, the fog hangs in the air. I get out of bed and walk to the window that looks out onto the Cullen's property. Their house is dark, quiet.

With my mind made up I tie my hair back, pull on some black yoga pants, a black hooded sweatshirt and a pair of running shoes. With my hood up I creep from my room downstairs, out the back sliding door and climb over the fence that separates his yard from mine. I'm on their back deck in a blur and my hand is on their back door. I twist the knob and say a silent prayer of thanks that we live in a small town that doesn't feel the need to lock their doors. I quietly tiptoe through the kitchen, realizing that the layout of his house is similar to that of mine. I'm down the hall and outside what should be an office. The door is ajar and I push it open just enough to slip inside.

The room is spacious, elegantly decorated and smells of leather. The walls on either side of the room are lined with bookshelves – each shelf is filled with books, pictures, CDs and DVD cases. In front of me is a large wooden desk, two leather high backed chairs sit in front of the desk while another is situated behind it. The desk is littered with papers, folders, and a giant screen that takes up a majority of the space.

Without another thought I am seated at the mahogany desk and moving the mouse to wake up the sleeping computer. The desktop picture makes me pause – its Edward, his mother and father posing for a picture in front of a Christmas tree. They all wear smiles that reach their eyes – this is truly a happy occasion. Fuck you I think as my gaze falls on Edwards smiling face. I open the My Computer folder and notice a removable disk drive, I open it with two clicks and there suddenly isn't enough air in the room.

I see it. I see me…him…us. It makes me sick to see the carefree, happy smile on my face. The dreams are nothing compared to the images of myself bare for all to see. I see him touching me, bringing me to and over the edge of pleasure – its clear as day written on my face. I hear his words calling me beautiful, gorgeous, lovely, striking, stunning…and on and on as I relax in front of him allowing him to expose me…use me. As I feel the bile rise in my throat, I close the files; grab the jump drive out of the back of the computer, pocket it, and get up to leave.

My adrenaline is on overdrive as I creep back out of the office, down the hall, through the kitchen. Before I know it I'm easing the back door shut and slinking across the yard back to my sanctuary, back to my home. I lean against the sliding glass door as I catch my breath in the safety of my kitchen. My hand grips the jump drive as it sits in my pocket. I'm not sure of what exactly I'm doing. I can't go to my dad, what would he say? One words pops into my head, and I grind my teeth as I try desperately to think of another way out of this mess. With a sigh, I realize that I have no other option. The word sits on my tongue like a bad taste…Renee.

After switching my hooded sweatshirt for a long sleeve shirt I grabbed my Ipod, placed the jump drive in my jewelry box and decided a run was in order. It was just after 4am when my feet hit the pavement in the direction of the trail I had run the weekend before.

As soon as by breathing picked up and my muscles began to strain I felt better, I felt stronger. I was determined to not let this knock me down. I could play this situation one of two ways and as I turned off the road and up the gravel trail I weighted my options. On one hand, I could pretend that this never happened and let Edward think he won. While on the other hand, I could fess up to knowing his game.

Either way I had to face the fact that Renee was somehow involved in this. I needed to contact her and get to the bottom of this. She left years ago and the sting of rejection was still very raw, but I would need to swallow my pride and reach out.

I pushed all other thoughts out of my head as the steady beat of the song blasted in my ears setting my pace. The fog hung ominously over the trail making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of me, and in the blink of an eye I was knocked to the ground and my Ipod went skidding across the trail just out of my reach.

"Shhh…" a soft voice whispered in my ear.

I held my breath to stop myself from crying out. I listened carefully to the sounds around me. I heard the person holding my shoulders breathing heavily, the crunch of gravel as two pairs of feet rushed past a few yards ahead and the pounding of my heart as it echoed in my ears.

"Are you ok? I couldn't let them see me talking to you, so we had to hide or they would have seen us." She said.

I go to my feet slowly and took her in. She was a few inches taller than me with beautiful caramel colored hair; her eyes were a soft green unlike her son's. I recognized Edward's mother right away – even though she was now dressed similarly to my attire rather than her bright pink bathrobe.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying to calm my heavy breathing.

"Bella, we need to talk," she started. "They think I am some naive woman who doesn't see what is right in front of me, but I refuse to let this continue any further. You're an innocent person and don't need to be dragged into their mess."

"What? How do you know my name?" I asked, completely thrown off guard.

"Bella, I have so much to explain…lets take a walk, but we need to avoid this trail otherwise Edward and Carlisle will see us."

I followed her without hesitation. We walked a few yards down and started up a small foot path.

"Where do I begin," she said aloud, "I guess I should start by introducing myself. I'm Esme Cullen." She held out her hand and I shook it before we continued walking and talking. "I don't know exactly what Edward and Carlisle have planned, but it's been going on for a long time. I thought that once they met you they would just drop this whole nonsense, but clearly they are fixated."

"I'm sorry Esme, but I honestly don't know what your talking about." I told her firmly.

"Of course not sweet girl," she said, laying her hand lovingly on my shoulder. "We're from Chicago, did you know that?" I nodded and she continued on. "We lived there since Edward was about three, but before that we lived in here in Forks."

I gasped in surprise and my steps faltered slightly as I took in this new revelation.

"Edward mentioned Chicago, but he never told me you were from here." I said.

"Well, that's probably because he doesn't remember that well. I'm guessing you don't remember him either." She said raising an eyebrow at me.

"What? No, I just met him the other day." I said.

"Well, you two were just babies when we left. Your mom and I could barely keep the two of you away from each other. You were practically joined at the hip!"

"What?" I whispered.

"We were so sad when Charlie called us when your mom left. I wanted to move back and just sweep you into my arms, but Carlisle was determined to make it work in Chicago, and we had just got our marriage back on track, so it wasn't the best time for us to uproot. I knew about him and Renee from the beginning, but I foolishly ignored it until it just about destroyed us."

"I didn't…" she cut me off with a hug.

"Of course you didn't know Bella, you were just a baby. Renee was always a bit flirty with Carlisle. I knew they had been together from the moment their relationship changed. All of a sudden Carlisle couldn't leave the room fast enough when Renee entered it, and she flat out ignored him when he couldn't escape. I don't think Charlie ever knew, and I never had the heart to tell him. He loved her with his whole heart…still does I think. But I'm no fool Bella, soon after it began, it ended and we were on the next flight to Chicago. Carlisle threw himself into his work, and then all of a sudden we started receiving letters from Renee. Carlisle thought I didn't know, but I was the person who opened the first one. I was shocked by her words, her expectations, but I put the letter back together to make it seem as if I never saw it. I knew more would come, but he was a smart man and he quickly intercepted them before I could see.

Renee started asking him for money a few months after we were settled in Chicago, in exchange for her keeping their secret from me. Too bad I already knew. About six years later your mom up and left. I guess she had saved enough to start her new life. We hadn't spoken in a few years, but when Charlie called, I knew what was going on. Once a month a substantial amount of money was missing from our checking account – I knew it was going to her.

I thought it was all over with, but then Edward found one of the letters and started asking questions. We all went to counseling to deal with the hurt and betrayal. All of a sudden, we were one big happy family again and they wanted to move back to Forks. I'm no fool, I knew they were up to something, and as soon as I realized that we were moving next door to you it all clicked. I don't know what else they have planned Bella, but I refuse to let Edward punish you for his father's indiscretion. He is still dealing with the anger and hurt from his father's disloyalty."

I couldn't believe my ears, and this new information just kept spinning around in my head making me dizzy. Esme held me as tears ran down my cheeks; I didn't even know I was crying. I was beyond numb as we made our way back to the trail. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and hugged me tight whispering in my ear "_don't worry Bella, I won't let this go on any further"_.

She left me on the trail with my thoughts as she took off in the opposite direction. I stood for a moment, stunned, and then I sped off towards home feeling surprisingly lighter. With a spring in my step I decide that I needed to get rid of the jump drive, confront my mother and find a way to make Edward pay for his actions.

I was rounding the corner approaching my house when it hit me. I have the pictures, I know about his past and now I know his game…I'm ready to take on anything Edward throws my way. I'm choosing to play dumb and see where it takes me. I sprint the last few yards and slow to a walk up driveway.

By the time I get to my room and peel off my clothes I only have forty minutes to shower and change for school. I barely wash and rinse before I am toweling dry and pulling on my uniform. I shovel down a bowl of cereal and am trudging out to the Volvo moments later. Today Edward is not leaning against my car and I breathe a sigh of relief as I get in and start the ignition. My school day goes by without a hitch and Edward never makes an appearance. I'm floating like a balloon as I return home that afternoon. Charlie is still at work, and I head upstairs to my room to change out of my uniform before I plan to start homework and make dinner.

Toeing off my shoes and shedding my knee highs I walk over to my closet to get a hanger to put my uniform on. Carefully hanging my shirt, vest and skirt in the closet I turned to walk over to my dresser to grab some comfy clothes to wear when I stop short at the sight of Edward standing in my doorway with fury in his eyes. I took a step back nearly falling into my closet – I could feel the hate radiating off of Edward rolling in waves in my direction.

"What are you doing here Edward?" I asked when I right myself.

"I know what your doing Bella and it's not going to work." He seethes.

"Edward, I really don't know what you're talking about, and honestly I don't care, but you need to leave…now." I said with as much conviction that I could muster.

"_Baby_…I'm not going any where." He said as he took a step towards me, entering my room.

"I asked you to leave, don't make me ask you twice." I threatened. After all, Charlie didn't raise a girl without teaching her how to defend herself.

He chuckled darkly as he continued walking towards me. I stood my ground, not wanting to show my fear. In mere seconds he was standing in front of me, so close I could feel his breath hit my face.

"You have to understand Bella, I have to do this, there is no other way." He said. His eyes made me pause as they showed regret and sadness.

"Please…" My words were cut off as Edward pushed me against the wall, trapping me with his arms.

"I don't want to do this Bella, I wish you could realize what it has been like." He said as his forehead slumped to rest on mine. His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me close into a hug. I became embarrassingly aware of the fact that I was wearing just my blue, lacy bra with matching panties.

"I'm so sorry Bella, I wish there was another way." He said, "Please, tell me where the jump drive is."

I stiffened in his arms, he clearly knew that it was missing, but there was no way I was handing that over to him.

"I'm sorry too Edward." I said as I quickly brought my knee up to meet his groin. He called out in pain as his hands left my waist to cup himself. I took the opportunity to run to my dresser, grab the jump drive from my jewelry box and sprint down the stairs. As I rounded the hallway into the kitchen, I grabbed Charlie's coat off the rack and shoved my feet into a pair of boots left by the door as I flung the sliding glass door open and ran out into the backyard towards the woods that lined our property.

I just reached the tree line when I heard Edward.

"Bella!" He screamed. "I will find you…"


	6. Chapter 6

*Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Running on Fumes

Chapter 6

By: EJJCullen

I hear his threat echo off the trees that surround me. I know exactly where I'm going as I tear through the brush and feel the sting of pricker bushes as they slash at my bare legs. The sky was growing darker the further into the woods I ventured.

Being the avid hunter, Charlie had a deer look out spot about a mile north into the woods that lined our property. It was a great hiding spot and as a child I would sometimes play up there until Charlie would practically drag me down for dinner.

It was a wooden platform elevated between two large trees hidden amongst the branches. Once you climbed up, you could get a panoramic view of the woods and were sheltered from the elements. It was meant for deer spotting, so the only things that were left behind were a folding camp chair, a pair of binoculars and an all-weather bag that contained a camouflage print blanket. It would be enough to hide me for the time being and allow me some time to figure out what to do next.

I climbed the wooden slats that were nailed to the tree trunk leading up to the look out. Edward's yelling had quieted the further in I ran, and now I heard nothing. I sat on the chair, pulling my knees up to my chin and wrapped myself with blanket. It was eerily quiet, and my eyes constantly scanned my surroundings waiting for Edward to follow through with his threat. My breathing evened out until I was finally breathing normally, although my heart still pounded in my chest and echoed in my ears.

Think Bella, think! I thought to myself. The first thing I had to do was get rid of the jump drive. I didn't want this to come back to haunt me, so I knew that just tossing it into the woods would not do the trick, I needed to destroy it. I pulled the small, rectangular drive out of my pocket and ran my fingers over it as I continued to think. I could burn it…but I had no way of creating a fire - its not like I was a girl scout and could rub sticks together. I could water log it…but there was no water near by. I could always wait until it was safe and throw it in the pool…but I didn't want to wait that long, this needed to be done now. I could smash it!

I placed the drive on the floor of the platform and grabbed the heavy duty binoculars, turning them on their side I struck the drive. The plastic casing cracked quickly exposing the internal make up. With a few more strikes the jump drive was reduced to a pile of metal and plastic, completely unsalvageable. I smiled in relief as I sat back in the chair pulling the blanket back around me and the binocular up to my eyes to help me scan the woods.

I could hear twigs snapping in the distance and the sound of muffled voices coming from the southern side of the woods. I couldn't make out what the voices were saying but I recognized that it was more than one voice and they were headed towards the area that I was currently hiding in. I had no concept of time as I sat there praying I wouldn't be seen. The sky went from a pink and purple hue to a dark steely gray and with the setting sun came the drop in temperature. It wasn't exactly winter in Forks, but the mid September weather was cool at night. Dressed in just my bra and panties with a coat and blanket to keep me warm I knew it would be a challenge to get through the night.

Using the binoculars I scanned the area again, but there was no sign of anyone. The voices seemed to be circling the area, because now it was if they were closing in from the east.

"Bella!" I heard. It ricocheted off the trees around me and made me shiver in fear.

"Bella!" I heard another voice yell.

I covered my ears with my hands and rocked back and forth on the chair. I silently cried. With shaking hands I raise the binoculars one more time and spotted two figures just off to the left of where I sat. One I instantly recognized as Edward and the other was his father.

"We need to find her now Edward, I can't believe you let this happen." I heard his father say.

"I didn't _let_ this happen Dad, she's a lot stronger than she looks." Edward said.

"Well, she better be. I can't believe I allowed myself to think that this would be easy and how foolish was I to let you get dragged into this. This needs to stop Edward. Esme was right all along." Carlisle said hanging his head in defeat.

"Don't say that Carlisle, this **will** work, it has to. Renee can't get away with this any more. She has already taken so much from us and them! I mean, I am glad that at least she had the decency to share it with Bella, but you do realize that this can't go on. Bella isn't stupid, she is going to find out and I know she doesn't talk to Renee now, but Bella doesn't deserve for Renee to show up and use her against both you and Charlie." Edward said.

"Edward, I wish it was that simple. Charlie and I aren't exactly innocent victims here. I knew that your mother was with him, and when she told me the truth about your real father I was devastated, but what could I do? I did the same thing and so we put it behind us. Charlie was in enough pain already with Renee leaving and raising Bella all by himself. What was I suppose to do? Call him up and tell him that Bella is _mine_ and take away all that he had?"

I stopped breathing, the world seemed to spin and there was a loud buzzing in my ears blocking out all other sounds. The word 'mine' echoed in my subconscious as everything went black.

"Bella…Bella…..come on Bells, wake up." I heard Charlie say as he shook me awake.

"Dad!" I yelled as I hugged him.

"Gees Bells, what the heck is going on? I come home and your no where to be found, so I come out here after you didn't answer your cell and your sitting here sound asleep! You scared me half to death! I was about ready to call Sam and send out a search party for you."

"I'm so sorry Daddy." I said as I clung to him.

"What's going on baby? You're shaking." He said as he pet my hair and held me tight.

"I just…I just needed to clear my head." I said. I wanted to tell him the truth, but how do you ask your father who has raised you since birth if it's possible that he's not my real father?

"Come on," he said, releasing me and placing a kiss on the top of my head. "Its late, cold and I bet you haven't had dinner yet. Let's go home and I'll heat up a frozen pizza."

We climbed down from the look out and walked back to the house in a comfortable silence.

"How did you know where to find me?" I asked as Charlie opened the side gate and led me up to the house.

"Bells, you're my _daughter_, I know all there is to know about you…besides, you only have one hiding spot." He chuckled.

I tried to smile back, but his words replayed in my mind. 'My daughter', oh Charlie, if you only knew, I thought.

I went upstairs to change while Charlie heated up the pizza from the freezer. On my way up the stairs I looked at all the pictures that lined the wall leading to the second floor. Some were of Charlie and Renee, some were me and Renee, and all the rest were me and Charlie or just me as I grew from a scrawny girl to what I am today. I stopped at a picture of me and Charlie from a few years ago. It was the last picture at the top of the stairs and it instantly brought tears to my eyes. We had gone on a fishing trip with some of Charlie's buddies and someone snapped the picture capturing me and Charlie holding up a fish I had caught. Our smiles were endless, and Charlie had his arm wrapped lovingly around my shoulder.

I inspected the picture closely. I grew up knowing that I favored my mother in the way that I looked - I had her hair and her facial features. But I always thought that my personality mirrored Charlie's, and that my dark eyes came from him. I realize now, that the man who raised me was a complete stranger – the photo mocked me with the truth. If anyone else looked at this picture they would guess the man with his arm around me was a relative; an uncle, or a cousin, but certainly not my father.

Feeling completely lost, I walked to my bedroom and pulled on a sweatshirt and yoga pants. I sat on my bed and drowned in my thoughts. How could they have kept this from me? From Charlie?

"Dinner Bells!" He shouted from the bottom of the stairs, breaking me from my thoughts.

I trudged back downstairs feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. Slumping onto a stool I picked at the pizza in front of me. Charlie quickly devoured the majority of the pie as he read the paper. He got up to put his plate in the sink and headed into the other room to watch the sports highlights on ESPN. I sat for a little while longer, my pizza completely cold and untouched in front of me.

Finally, I stood up, dumped my pizza in the garbage and washed mine and Charlie's plates before leaving the kitchen to go up to bed. On my way to the stairs Charlie's voice stopped me.

"How about we go to the diner tomorrow for dinner to celebrate Bells?" He asked.

"What?"

"Come on kiddo, you only turn eighteen once, let's celebrate your day." He said, excitement dancing in his eyes. "Besides, your mom called earlier and said she had a surprise coming your way tomorrow. Who knows what craziness she has up her sleeve this year!"

"Yeah, sure Dad." I said, completely void of any emotion.

"You okay Bells?" He asked, raising an eyebrow concerned by my lack of response.

"Yeah, just tired I guess." I lied.

"Alright, well, I'll see you in the morning kiddo. Sweet dreams."

"Night Dad." I said, as I continued down the hall and up the stairs to the sanctuary of my bedroom.

I lay on my bed completely lost in my thoughts, listing out all of the things that I now knew…

The Cullen's were my parent's friends long ago.

Edward is Esme and Charlie's son.

I am Renee and Carlisle's daughter.

Renee, Esme, Carlisle and Edward know the truth.

Renee is blackmailing Carlisle to keep the secret.

I was suddenly sick to my stomach and ran to the bathroom to heave the contents of my stomach, which was very little since I skipped dinner. I dry heaved a few more times before I sat on the floor pulling my knees up and resting my forehead on them. How was I ever going to look Charlie in the eyes again?

After sitting on the bathroom floor for a while longer I finally picked myself up, brushed my teeth and headed back to my room. As I closed the door to my bedroom a hand came around my face landing over my mouth and muffling my scream.

"Shhhh…" He shushed in my ear. I knew it was Edward. He pulled me flush against his chest and rested his chin on my head as he continued to shush me. "Bella, if you promise not to scream I will move my hand. Can you promise me not to scream?"

I nodded my head. He loosed his grip on me and slowly lowered his hand that covered my mouth allowing me to turn to face him.

"I'm so sorry Bella," he said, the truth pouring from his eyes. "I need to talk to you. Everything is so messed up and as much as I don't want to do this, I have to be honest with you."

"Honest, really Edward? Everything that has come out of your mouth since the day I met you has been a lie." I whisper yelled hoping my Dad wouldn't hear our exchange.

"I know…" he said, hanging his head in defeat. "I never meant for this to happen, you have to know that. You were never supposed to know this, but tomorrow nights dinner is going to expose everyone."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, completely lost. "And who invited you to MY birthday dinner?"

"Charlie invited us…" he started, before I huffed in frustration and interrupted before he could continue.

"What do you mean _'us'_?"

"My family." He said.

"Right…_your_ family." I replied rolling my eyes.

"Bella, I am just trying to warn you before this all blows up in your face and you're taken completely off guard…you need to know that Renee is coming to dinner too."

"What?" I yelled.

"Shhh" Edward shushed as he once again threw a hand over my mouth. We waited for a few beats listening for any sound of movement from the floor below. After a moment he lowered his hand and pulled me to him so he could whisper into my ear.

"Renee is coming to dinner tomorrow."

"How do you know that?" I whispered back.

"She called Carlisle earlier."

"What?" I whispered yelled.

"Bella, before I can tell you anymore I need to explain…"

"That you're living my life?" I spat sarcastically. "That all my life I thought I was Charlie's daughter, but really I should be calling Carlisle 'Dad'? I'm sure Charlie will be thrilled…he always wanted a boy."

"You know?" He said, completely shocked.

"I overheard you and Carlisle in the woods." I explained.

"Are you ok?"

"NO! I am certainly not 'ok' Edward. I can't think straight. And tomorrow my mother is coming to my birthday dinner to ruin my life and break Charlie's heart once and for all!"

"Let me get this straight…you just found out that your whole life has been a sham and you're worried about Charlie?"

"Edward, I just found out he isn't my father, that doesn't mean that I don't love him."

He pulled me into a hug letting the tears I didn't know I was crying soak into his t-shirt. He held even tighter as my tears turned into full fledge sobbing. It felt like a dream and I just wanted to wake up.

"It's going to be ok Bella," he said into my hair as he kissed the top of my head.

"H-how?" I stuttered, choking on my tears.

He didn't need to answer. We both knew that there was no good way out of this. Renee would show up, drop the bombshell and disappear leaving us to pick up the pieces of our lives. Edward ushered me over to my bed and helped me get in.

"How did you deal with it?" I asked him as he tucked me into my bed. "I mean, you know the truth, how are you ok with it all?"

"I'm not, but I've been working on it for a few years. My parents went to therapy to fix their marriage and when I found one of Renee's letters and started asking my mom questions she broke down and told me the truth. I couldn't remember Charlie, but she brought out old pictures and told me stories and after a while I felt like I did know him. She put me into therapy a few times a week to help me deal with my anger and confusion. It's helped a lot. I still get angry about it, especially when I know Carlisle sends her money. Renee is the only person not suffering from all of this."

"Yeah, it's not going to be easy from here on out. What do you think is going to happen now? I mean are we going to like switch lives or something?" I asked, it all seemed so bizarre. Would Charlie kick me out now that I didn't "belong" to him? Would I have to move in with Carlisle?

He stood there towering over me not knowing how to answer my questions. He turned to go over to the window he clearly climbed in earlier. I abruptly felt the loneliness wrap around me and panicked.

"Wait…" I called over to him. "I don't really want to be alone right now. Do you think you can stay a little longer?" I scooted over to make room for him next to me. He turned from where he was and slowly walked over to me before lying down next to me on top of the covers.

We just lay there, not talking, touching, or even looking at one another. It was just more comfortable knowing that we weren't alone any more in our situation. He had to deal with it all on his own, but at least he had his mother to talk things out with. I couldn't exactly talk to Charlie about it and Renee was someone I never wished to see again. I only had Edward, and the realization of that was scary.

I woke sometime later feeling overly warm. I kicked my legs out from under my blankets, but was still too warm. My breath hitched for a moment when I realized that the warmth was radiating off the person sleeping next to me. We must have fallen asleep at some point. Edward still had his shoes on and was on top of the covers as he held me flush against his chest, one arm draped over my side. As much as I wanted to hate Edward for all the things he had done to me, I was also comforted by his presence. He held me while I cried, he offered insight on how to deal with what was to come, and as much as I hated to admit it – my skin burned with desire from just his touch.

I pulled away slightly to move the blankets off of me more to cool me down, but Edward squeezed me to him, not letting me go. His hand slipping slightly grazing the exposed skin between my tank top and sleep shorts. My skin instantly sparked with desire. He moaned quietly into my ear, and whispered "_Bella_". At first I froze thinking he was awake, but his quiet snoring gave away his sleeping form.

I lowered my hand to his to move it back to my hip, but just as my fingers touched his, he laced our fingers together and hugged me tighter. Our breathing picked up at the same time. I could feel his chest expand and contract faster as mine mirrored the movement.

"You feel so good in my arms." He whispered in my ear. His breath along the shell of my ear sent tingles down my spine and need to pool between my thighs. I unconsciously rubbed my thighs together desperate for friction as he lowered his mouth to my jaw and kissed down to where it met my shoulder. I closed my eyes enjoying the feel of his mouth on mine.

Effortlessly he brought our joined hands up to his mouth and kissed my fingers. Letting go of his hand I placed my own on his cheek, which he leaned into. I ran my fingers up and into his hair as he resumed planting kisses along my jaw and neck, while his hand returned to my hip and played along the edges of my sleep shorts.

"Edward…I…" but my words and thoughts were cut short when his hands dipped into my shorts going straight to where my body needed him. I moaned as his fingers teased my folds, and my fingers clenched his hair as he nipped at my neck.

"I know," he panted into my ear. "I will do anything to win back your trust. I'm so sorry. But please Bella, let's just forget everything else and just enjoy one another."

My head nodded of its own accord and he sighed in happiness as he slowly leaned back allowing me to roll onto my back. He stayed on his side as he continued to tease me and lowered his head to my chest. Even through my tank top, my nipples hardened at the feel of his lips on them. He pulled his hand out of my shorts, earning a whimper from me, only to pull my tank top up and off of me. He lowered his head once again and kissed, sucked and licked my chest. I could feel his erection as it pressed into the outside of my thigh.

My hand fell from his hair to his shoulder to pull him closer to me. He lifted his head as he removed his own shirt and rolled onto me, settling between my open legs. I moaned as his hardness met my aching core. He ground into me again, moaning and returned his attention back to my chest as he continued to grind into me.

"God I want you," he moaned into my chest. He sat up on his knees and slowly peeled my shorts off of my legs. Dropping my shorts to the side of the bed, he pulled of his shoes and began undoing his jeans. We froze as we heard footsteps in the hallway. As they approached my door, I pushed Edward to the side and he slid to the floor completely hidden front the door. I grabbed my tank top and threw it on just as the door knob turned and Charlie appeared in my doorway.

"Bella, I'm headed to bed, I just wanted to say good night kiddo." He said, smiling.

"Goodnight Dad," I said trying not to sound breathless. His eyes dropped from mine to Edward's shoes at the foot of my bed. I silently cursed, but Charlie simply smirked, nodded slightly and headed off to bed closing the door behind him.

"That was close." Edward whispered as he stood up, dropping his jeans and boxer-briefs in the process. He was back between my thighs in the blink of an eye and peeling my tank top off once again in between a searing kiss.

His lips on mine made me forget the awkward encounter with Charlie. And my mind clouded with pleasure as Edward pushed two fingers into me making my chest arch forward to his awaiting mouth.

"You feel so good Bella," he whispered as he moved his fingers in and out of me. The coil in my stomach began to tighten as his pace quickened. I was panting with need as he pulled his fingers out and began teasing my folds with the head of his cock.

"Does that feel good baby?" he asked, breathless.

"Oh yeah," I said just as breathless.

"Do you want me baby?"

"I…"

"Don't worry, I'll go slow." He interrupted just as he pushed slowly into me.

It burned slightly as he continued to push into me, but it wasn't all together painful. He stopped as he reached my barrier, locking eyes with me. He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me passionately as he pushed through and paused. We continued kissing, tongues teasing as he pushed further until he was sheathed completely.

"Are you ok?" he asked panting. I nodded in response. "You are so tight babe, and I can't even describe how good you feel."

With his hands on holding either side of my face, our eyes locked on one another, he began to slowly move with in me. As the slight burning sensation lessened, the pleasure took center stage. His eyes shined with pleasure and lust, mirroring my own no doubt. I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my ankles as our hips continued to meet, tightening the coil of pleasure in my stomach. He brought my hands up above my head lacing our fingers together as his pace quickened.

"I don't know how much longer I can last baby, you feel so amazing." He whispered in my ear as he kissed my jaw.

"Just let go," I panted on the brink of an orgasm.

"Oh Edward," I cried, feeling the coil burst, sending a euphoric sensation throughout my body, making my toes curl and my eyes clamp shut.

"Oh Bella," he moaned as I fell off the edge, clenching him tightly and coating his cock with my juices. "Ugh, that's it baby, just let go. God you're beautiful."

His hips bucked into mine with wild abandon as he too let go. With three more thrusts, he stilled, holding me tight against his chest. I could feel his heart pounding and I'm sure he could feel mine. We stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. Finally his grip loosened and he leaned back, pulling out of me. He turned on his side, pulling the covers over us and hugging me to his chest. I fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat as my cheek rested just above his heart.

"Goodnight Bella." He whispered into my hair.

"Goodnight Edward." I sighed.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"It was my first time too."


	7. Chapter 7

*Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Running on Fumes

Chapter 7

By: EJJCullen

A knock on the door woke me from the most peaceful sleep I've had in months.

"Come in." I croaked my voice gravelly from sleep.

Charlie opened the door and took a few tentative steps into my room. He was holding a small package wrapped in silver paper topped with a white bow. As he approached my bed, he wore a smile and glanced around my room warily.

"Happy Birthday kiddo!" he said, handing me the gift and placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"Gees, Dad, its not even 7 am yet!" I said rolling my eyes and accepting the gift he held out.

"I know, but since were going out for your birthday dinner, I need to head in early so I can leave a little early. " He explained. "Now I know it probably won't compare to the surprise your Mom has in store for you, but I hope you like it."

"Dad, I love everything you give me, and let's be honest, Mom is just trying to buy me back with her outrageous gifts. Remember the car last year? It's such a joke." I said, carefully peeling apart the silver paper to reveal a white box. I opened the box and instantly felt the tears collect in my eyes. "Dad…it's…" but I couldn't find the words to describe the beautiful Sapphire and diamond pendant.

I plucked the pendant from the box and let it dangle from my index finger. The silver chain was light and elegant with a slight shimmer to it as it slowly tilted from side to side and the pendant was gracefully suspended by a silver clasp that clung to the oval cut sapphire hugged by round cut diamond accents. It was absolutely beautiful.

"It's perfect Dad. Thank you so much." I brushed away the tears and hugged him tightly. I handed him the necklace and pulled my hair to the side allowing him to easily fasten it around my neck.

I walked over to my vanity and inspected it as it lay perfectly between my collar bones. My eyes followed Charlie's movements as he again gazed around my room.

"Looking for something Dad?" I asked.

"Uh, no no." He stuttered, clearly not expecting to be caught snooping. "Well, happy birthday baby. I will pick you up at 6 to head over to the diner. I hope its ok, but I invited the Cullen's to join in for our dinner celebration. Did you know that they used to live in Forks before moving off to Chicago?" I nodded still gazing at my necklace in the mirror as Charlie quickly kissed my head once again and headed out of my room.

"Oh, hey Dad…" I called just as he reached the door.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I already called the school and left a message saying you were home with a 'stomach bug'. Now don't be cruising around town or everyone will know I lied, and how would that look for the Chief of Police to be caught in a lie?" He said, feigning shock.

"Thanks Dad, you're the best." I smiled from ear to ear. My birthday was my one and only get out of jail (or in my case school) free card. It became a tradition ever since Renee left just before my ninth birthday. Typically my birthday was spent lounging around the house watching girly lifetime movies and swimming if the weather cooperated.

I flopped back into bed, running the pendant back and forth along the chain. Charlie was such a great Dad. He picked me up when I was a mess after Renee left, always made time for me when I needed him and included me in everything that he did – from fishing to hunting and everything in between. We were extremely close and knew practically everything about each other. Of course, that was all going to change this evening.

I fell back to sleep for another two hours before my stomach finally couldn't take anymore and I was forced to head down to the kitchen for breakfast. I circled the island and rummaged through the cabinets before finally deciding to make myself pancakes. I was just sitting down to dig in when the doorbell chimed. I shoved a mouthful in my mouth before heading down the hallway to the front door.

I opened the door and practically choked on the syrup soaked mass in my mouth as Carlisle Cullen stood on our front step. After two quick coughs and a not so subtle gulp I was able to breathe.

"Can I help you?" I asked through the safety of the screen door.

"Oh, Bella…I was hoping to see Charlie before he headed off to work. Aren't you supposed to be at school?" He was clearly not expecting to see me and his face paled significantly when he saw it was me who answered the door.

"He left early so he could get home in time for my dinner tonight." I explained, feeling very awkward and looking everywhere but directly in his eyes. "Did you need something?"

"Uh, no, no it's ok…I guess I'll just see him at dinner then." He said quickly and turned to walk down the three steps to the front walkway. "Oh, and happy birthday Bella." He stopped for a moment, looked up and smiled a genuine smile.

Our eyes met. His brown eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled and I remember the picture at the top of our staircase of me and Charlie - my eyes were an exact match to Carlisle's.

"Um, thanks Mr. Cullen." I said, and his eyes fell slightly as I called him 'Mr. Cullen'. He nodded quickly and retreated back to his house at a quick pace. I closed the door and slid down it until I was seated on the floor with my knees under my chin. I suddenly wasn't so hungry anymore.

After sitting in a daze for a little while longer I finally picked myself up and walked back into the kitchen. I picked up my neglected plate of pancakes and threw the remains into the garbage before dumping the plate into the sink to add to the mess of dishes piled up from my pancake mission earlier. The sun was shinning brightly so I decided to go for a dip in the pool to help purge the thoughts running rampant through my head.

I walked to the pool shed and quickly stripped out of my tank top and shorts before pulling on a bright blue bikini from the bathing suit bin. I grabbed two towels, a pair of sunglasses and my disintegrating copy of _Wuthering Heights_ before turning back to the pool deck. Choosing to take a dip before basking in the sun, I tossed my items onto the lounge chair and stood on the side of the pool looking into the water. The water was glasslike reflecting the rays of sun that peaked through the tree branches that surrounded the fenced in area.

I dipped a toe into the warm water as ripples danced out in patterns destroying the calm of the water. Today I officially became an adult, and as I watched the ripples crash into the wall on the opposite side of the pool I thought about what a disaster today was turning out to be. I was Bella Swan…I didn't know how to be anyone else. For the past eighteen years I was raised and loved by Charlie, but in reality he was a stranger. Where did that leave me? I barely knew my mother and the few memories I had of her were not ones that I cherished deeply and the man who was my real father was truly a stranger.

Without another thought I stepped out into the water and sunk to the bottom. I allowed myself to sit there as the bubbles of air escaped my nose trailing to the surface. I didn't know how I would survive this day. In a few hours my life would be turned upside down. As the last of my air left my lungs I remained at the bottom of the pool. My mind was blank, refusing to allow any though to enter it in this moment. My lungs burned, screaming at me to return to the surface for a breath.

Finally I gave in and pushed off the bottom of the pool, rocketing myself up to the surface. As soon as my lips were out of the water I gasped a lungful of air. After a few gulps I was once again calm. I eased myself back until I was floating along the water. I closed my eyes and could only hear the under water distortion of my body steadily rocking in the pool.

I floated until my skin was covered in goose bumps and my fingers pruned. Reluctantly I left the security of the water to wrap myself in a towel and sit on the lounge chair. Reclining slightly I pulled on my sunglasses and basked in the rays of the sun. The water droplets evaporated from my skin and warmed me to the core. In no time I was shrugging out of the towel and enjoying the sear of the sun on my skin. I reached for my book and began reading.

Several chapters in I decided it was time to flip over. I stood, stretched my towel out over the lounge chair and lay flat on my stomach with my elbows propped up as I continued to read. After a few minutes I pulled my hair over my right shoulder and untied the top and back of my bikini letting the strings fall around me.

I woke sometime later to feel of hands massaging my shoulders. I moaned in satisfaction as the hands drifted to my back. I lifted my head and a page from my book followed as it stuck to my cheek. Looking over my shoulder I saw Edward sitting on the edge of the lounge chair.

"Hey," he said, "I thought you could use some sunscreen." He picked up the bottle from the ground, added a dollop to his hand and returned to massaging the lotion into my back.

"Uh, thanks." I said, slightly embarrassed, as I peeled the page off my cheek and placed the book on the ground beside me.

"You didn't come to school today. You doing ok?" He asked, raising his eyebrows slightly in concern.

"Yeah, I always skip on my birthday. It's my one free day granted by Charlie." I explained. I started to sit up and realized my top was still untied and quickly leaned down again.

"Is your Dad home?"

"No, he had to work early so he could get out in time for dinner tonight."

"Huh," he hummed, as he slid his arms up my back to just under my arm pits.

"What are you…" I started but couldn't finish as he quickly picked me up and tossed me into the pool with a splash.

I resurfaced with a gasp still clutching my bikini top to my chest only to see Edward lifting off his shirt and stepping out of his shorts and boxer-briefs before jumping in next to me. My skin warred between stinging from the shock of the water and burning from seeing Edward wearing nothing but a smile.

He slowly came up for air inches from where I stood. When he stood to his full height next to me he pried my hands away from my chest as he stepped closer and whispered in my ear "_don't be shy_".

He flicked my bikini top to the side of the pool as he pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he hissed slightly when my hips rubbed against his and my chest pressed into him.

"Happy Birthday" he said as his tongue darted out and licked the shell of my ear, earning a shiver from me.

"Thanks." I panted tightening my hold around his neck and standing on my tip toes.

His hands dropped to my waist and lifted me slightly so our mouths could meet in a searing kiss. I hummed in content as his tongue plunged into my mouth to meet mine and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist.

He took a few steps further into the deep end, which kept us chest deep in the water, and pinned me up against the wall of the pool. We continued to kiss and soon he started to grind his hardened member into me.

We moaned simultaneously at the feel of our bodies pressing closer and closer as our kiss went from soft to pure need. His hands dropped to the ties on either side of my hips as he slowly untied them letting my bikini bottom fall off. With his hands on my hips he pulled me back and forth along his cock.

"I missed you today," he said in between kisses. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes," I panted, getting worked up by the feel of his cock teasing my folds.

"Umm, all day I have been thinking about how good you feel and how I couldn't wait to see you and just bury myself in you again." His right hand drifted from my hip to my clit as he continued to tease me. "Would you like that Bella?"

"Oh God, yes." I begged embarrassedly. "Please Edward."

He captured my lips again as he pushed inside me completely burying himself to hilt. We sighed in unison at the feel of each other. He held me close as he slowly rocked himself in and out pressing me harder into the wall on each pass while his hands dug into my hips.

"You feel so good," I moaned as he lowered his mouth to my neck, my head falling back onto the pool deck. He sucked lightly to start but soon began nibbling no doubt leaving a mark. My body flushed at the thought of him marking me for all to see.

He continued to drive into me pulling my hips down harder on each upward thrust until we were both panting.

"These tan lines are a ridiculous turn on Bella" he said running the index finger of one hand down my chest only to pinch my nipple earning a loud moan from me.

"Let me feel you cum," he whispered into my ear, "I love feeling you clench around my cock."

At his words, I did just that, coating him as my eyes rolled back and the euphoric feeling spread throughout my body.

"Ugh, yeah, that's it." He moaned, pounding into me harder. "I'm gonna cum." I could feel him release into me in three spurts as I came down from my high. Only moving his mouth to mine we stayed locked in our embrace as he kissed me sweetly.

"We have to stop, or I'm going to have to take you again." He said after a few minutes of passionate kisses were exchanged. I giggled as I gave him one last chaste kiss and pushed lightly on his chest. He slowly pulled out of me and lowered me until my feet were touching the pool bottom.

"We better get out of here before your Dad comes home and finds us skinny dipping." He chuckled.

"What time is it?" I asked completely unaware of how late in the day it was.

"It's almost 5 o'clock, why?"

"Oh God, I have to get ready, Charlie will be here in about an hour." I explained.

"Ok, you go get ready, and I'll do the same." He smiled. It fell slightly as he took in my panicked expression. I had slept away the day and was still unprepared for the shit storm that was going to occur in the next few hours.

"Bella, don't worry, what ever happens tonight I will hold your hand the entire time." He promised, looking me straight in the eye.

"Ok." I said, breaking eye contact. I grabbed my bikini bottom that drifted around my feet and waded to steps of the pool with Edward by my side. Once we were out of the pool he grabbed he towel I was lying on earlier and wrapped it around me before picking up the other one I grabbed earlier and wrapping it around himself.

He hugged me to him once more peppering my temple with soft kisses and promising me that it would all be ok. He walked me to the sliding glass door and kissed me once more before headed back to his house. With one last deep breath I opened the sliding glass door to head inside to get ready for my celebratory dinner.

I showered quickly and thoroughly as I tried to keep my mind busy with things like what I would wear and how I would style my hair – anything but what would soon be out in the open. When I was squeaky clean, I turned off the water and started the primping process.

Choosing a simple black wrap dress that accentuated my thin waist and a pair to black peep toed pumps I finished my outfit with the pendant Charlie had given me. I lined my eyes with a black pencil, used a dark charcoal gray shadow to create a smoky eye, and finished my look with a shiny gloss on my lips. I dried and straightened my hair with a flat iron and pulled it to the side in a low slung pony tail that hung over my left shoulder and curled the ends.

By the time I spritzed myself with some Cherry Blossom Eau de Toilette by L'Occitane, I heard the familiar sound of Charlie returning home.

"Bella?" I heard him call as he opened the front door.

"Yeah Dad, I'll be down in a sec."

I grabbed my cell and a small black clutch purse and headed down the stairs with my heels clacking on each step. I rounded the bottom of the steps to head into the living room to meet Charlie.

"How do I look?" I said, spinning slowly for the full effect.

"Oh you look lovely!" a female voice said. I stopped spinning and looked up slowly into the familiar eyes of my mother.

"Mom!" I said, feeling the air leave the room and beads of nervous sweat collect along my hair line.

"Surprise baby, and Happy Birthday!" She sang as she pulled me into a hug.

Between her tight embrace and the panic rising in my chest, I was gasping for air.

"Oh, I just can't wait for dinner!" She squeaked, and handed me a square turquoise box wrapped with a white sateen ribbon.

I recognized the Tiffany and Co. colors immediately and looked up to see my Dad toeing the floor and looking down in embarrassment. It would be so like Renee to one up the beautiful necklace Charlie had given to me earlier. I shot him a small smile that he mimicked before carefully untying the bow. I opened the box lid to find a black velvet liner flaunting a pair of diamond solitaire earrings with matching tennis bracelet.

"Aren't they just divine?" she gushed as she pulled the items out of the box and began clasping the bracelet around my wrist.

"The bracelet is 18k white gold with round brilliant diamonds that are 5.5 carat in weight and the earrings are also 18k white gold with round brilliant diamonds that are 2 carats each!" She spouted off like she memorized the sales persons pitch.

"This is too much, I can't accept this." I said, with my jaw hanging open.

"Oh Bella, it's nothing really."

"How can you even afford this? It must have cost a fortune!"

"A lady never reveals her secrets." She said with a wink and a devilish smirk.


	8. Chapter 8

*Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Running on Fumes

Chapter 8

By: EJJCullen

The ride to the Diner was awkward at best and filled with complete silence. It was, however, amusing to see Renee sitting behind the cage in the back of Charlie's cruiser. I caught him a few times glancing in the rearview mirror and smirking. I had to admit it was funny. Charlie claimed that the Volvo was in need of a timing belt and wouldn't start, leaving us no option other than to take the cruiser. When Renee made to get into the passenger seat, Charlie told her that it was my day, therefore I should sit up front. She huffed life a five year old when Charlie opened the back door for her. He even put his hand on the back of her head as she sat down, it was out of habit for Charlie, and the look on Renee's face was priceless.

We parked off to the side and walked into the Diner meeting the Cullen's in the front lobby. The Diner was the only restaurant in town and although it was called a diner it was broken down into three sections to meet the needs of any and all events. Each section had a name; to the left was the 'railcar', on the right was the 'lounge' and we had reservations in the back room called the 'chateau'.

The 'railcar' was made up of booth tables and a large counter that ran down the length of the room. People could seat themselves where ever they wanted and the menu was all day breakfast, lunch and dinner. The 'lounge' was more of a pub type atmosphere. They had TV's on the walls broadcasting various sporting events, there was a large bar and all the tables were high tops with stools and the menu consisted of wings and things. Where as the 'chateau' was the most formal of the rooms. It was located in the back of the diner and had elegant tables of various sizes to accommodate groups, chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and each table was immaculately dressed with linens and candles. This menu was pricier and had entrées that were top of the line.

As we greeted the Cullen's I took in the differences between our two families. Carlisle and Edward were decked out in black dress pants, button down shirts, and in Carlisle's case, a black jacket. Carlisle wore a crisp light blue shirt with white collar and cuffs, while Edward had on a green shirt, that matched his eyes perfectly, and had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Esme looked beautiful in a burgundy dress that hung to her knees and had a black belt accentuating her thin frame and matched her stiletto heels. They looked as though they all belonged together.

The Swan's on the other hand looked like a random group. I was the most dressy, while Charlie wore a pair of khaki pants and a red plaid button down with black boots and Renee looked like she shopped in the juniors department with her too tight jean skirt, barely there yellow shirt that fell just short of her waist showing off her stomach and a pair of wedge sandals.

My eyes instantly sought out Edward's. He smiled brightly at me and dropped a kiss on my cheek as we all exchanged pleasantries. The hostess led us to our table and my eyes dropped to Edward's behind as he walked a step in front of me. His dress pants hung low on his hips and showed off his tight backside. When he stopped at the table I practically ran into him.

Our table was large and round in shape situated in front of a giant stone fireplace in the center of the room. There were only two other tables in use in the room and they were several tables away giving us a good amount of privacy. Charlie and Carlisle sat next to one anther quickly engaging in conversation while Renee and Esme sat next to one another with Esme on Carlisle's right. Edward took the seat next to Charlie leaving me two chairs to choose from. One was next to Renee and the other next to Edward. I chose the seat next to Edward leaving and empty chair between myself and Renee.

Once our drink orders were in the table fell into uncomfortable silence.

"So, Bells, why don't you tell us how you spent your day today birthday girl?" Charlie asked, clearly trying to break the silence with a "safe" topic.

"Oh," I said, blushing slightly as I recalled the afternoon events with Edward. As if sensing my discomfort, he placed a hand on my knee and squeezed lightly. "I just lounged around and took a dip in the pool." My eyes found Edwards as the word 'pool' left my lips. The corner of his lip twitched as he held in a smile.

"Right, Edward said he joined you for a swim after school." Esme mentioned, breaking mine and Edwards gaze. "You must love having a pool in the backyard. We had one in Chicago, but it was indoors and you always smelled like chlorine after taking a dip."

"Yeah the whole ground floor smelt like a YMCA." Carlisle added with a laugh.

The conversation died quickly as we all looked over the menu deciding on what to have. The waitress returned with our drinks and took our entrée orders. She disappeared quickly to put them in while another server brought out garden salads. The silence continued as we ate, but all too soon we were forced into another conversation to fill the quiet.

"So, Edward, do you plan to return to Chicago for college?" Charlie asked.

"I'm not sure Charlie, I actually have my eye on a few schools on the East Coast." He said. My head shot up quickly upon hearing this and I listened intently as they continued.

"Really?" Charlie asked. "Bells is looking at the North-East for a few schools too."

"It's a bit competitive, so I just hope my grades gain me entrance into the few schools I have my eye on." Edward said.

"Which schools are those?" Charlie asked.

"Well, I really like Middlebury, Dartmouth and Yale." Edward said as my jaw slowly opened wider and wider at the mention of each school.

"Wow! What a coincidence," Charlie chuckled. "Bella was looking into Middlebury and Dartmouth!"

"Really?" Edward said, turning his eyes from Charlie to me. "Maybe we will end up at the same college." He raised his eyebrows at me and smirked slightly.

"That would be fate." I said blushing a little more as Edward's fingers began tracing patterns along the inside of my knee.

Charlie and Carlisle began going back and forth over how great it would be if Edward and I ended up on the same college campus allowing them to share trips to and fro. Esme sat smiling gazing at Edward and me, while Renee sat back watching the whole exchange with an evil smirk.

The entrées came quickly and once again the table fell into a peaceful hush as we each dug into our respective dinners. As the empty plates were cleared Carlisle cleared his throat and gave his wife a nod.

"Bella, we wanted to get you a little something for you to celebrate your special day. Happy Birthday." Esme said holding out a thin, rectangular shaped box wrapped in pink paper with a silver bow on top.

"Oh, thank you Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," I said, shocked that they felt the need to get me something. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"Oh, nonsense dear." Esme said, dismissing my comment.

I peeled off the paper and opened the box to reveal a new ipod touch.

"Oh my goodness, thank you so much, I lost my ipod on my last run. Thank you." I said, Esme winked at me and Carlisle shot me a genuine smile, while Edward gave my knee another affectionate squeeze.

"Boy, you have just been spoiled this year, haven't you Bella?" Renee said smirking.

"She certainly has, but Bells deserves all of it." Charlie said, shooting me a smile.

"Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it." I said, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"I have one more little surprise…" Renee said pulling an envelope out of her purse.

"Um, excuse me." I said standing and walking off in the direction of the restroom. I needed to get away immediately. I couldn't face the destruction that Renee was so proudly bringing.

I rounded the corner to the restrooms and doubled over taking deep breaths. I felt light headed and nauseous. Feeling a hand rub gently on my back I stiffened.

"It's ok Bella," Edward said softly. "Calm down."

"It's…not…okay…Edward." I panted between breaths.

"Come on, you need to pull it together." Edward said, lacing his fingers through mine and gripping it tightly. "Let's go back and face this together. It will be better once it's out in the open. Then we can deal with it and be able to move forward."

"Ok," I said, standing up and walking back to the table hand in hand with Edward.

As we approached the table it was as if everything happened in slow motion. Renee and Carlisle were both standing up yelling at each other across the table while Charlie sat with his head lowered pale as a ghost. Esme looked up to see us approach and her movement caught Charlie's attention as he too looked over at us. His eyes met mine and my heart broke. He looked completely devastated. His eyes lowered to my hand in Edwards and his eyes widened in horror.

"Bella," he said calmly as we finally reached the table. "There is something about Edward you need to know. He's…your half brother."

"WHAT!" Esme and I said in unison.

"No, Charlie," Esme continued. "Do you remember the Labor Day picnic at the beach near LaPush?"

Charlie nodded slowly, and then his eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh my God," He said as he looked at Esme. "He's…"

"Yes." She said.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Renee spit childishly.

"Well, Renee," Carlisle explained. "Just as Bella is not Charlie's, Edward is not mine."

It took a moment for the realization to kick in before Renee turned to Charlie.

"You cheated on me!" She yelled.

"And there is one more thing Renee," Carlisle said pulling out a sealed manila folder. "Your finances are officially cut off."

As Carlisle handed Renee the folder, I panicked. There was only one thing that I could think of that could be in that folder, but how? I destroyed the jump drive! They must have printed the photos before I got the drive. But how could Carlisle do something like that to his daughter?

Renee opened the folder and her jaw dropped as her eyes met mine and narrowed.

"You little bitch!" She screamed as she dropped the folder and stormed out of the diner.

I stood rooted to the floor unable to speak. Tears fell softly down my cheek as I reached out and picked up the folder. Pulling out the pages within my heart beat frantically. I flipped the pages over and was shocked. I expected to see photos of me and Edward, but what I held in my hands was a pile of legal and financial documents clipped together with a business card attached. The card was for a Jane Vultori – attorney and financial consultant. From the looks of the card she seemed to be high priced.

"Bella," Carlisle said. "Let me explain all of that."

"She knows that Renee was blackmailing you." Edward said.

"Oh," Carlisle said. "Well, I didn't do that just to keep Renee away from our money. I did it because it also belongs to you Bella."

"I think its time for me and **my** daughter to leave." Charlie said standing from his chair and rounding the table to escort me out of the dinning room.

"Thanks again for my gift," I said quietly as we disappeared out of view.

The ride home was awkwardly quiet. We pulled into the driveway and Charlie cut the engine but didn't move.

"Bella, I don't know what to do or think here." He admitted. "You're my baby girl, and I can't imagine my life without you. I just need you to know, that even though we don't share the same DNA, I love you." He hugged me tight.

"Thanks Dad. My head is spinning, so I am glad that your not just going to kick me out and have Edward move into my room." I said with a laugh.

We exited the car and headed up the front walk towards the house when the headlights from the Cullen's car pulling into their driveway caught our attention. We stood, watching as they got out of their car and looked over towards us.

"I guess we all have a lot to talk about, huh?" Charlie said, motion to the Cullen's.

We walked over towards the Cullen's and met them just outside their front door.

"Why don't we all go inside and talk." Esme suggested.

We all followed her inside and settled in their living room.

"Charlie," Carlisle started. "I know that this is a very sensitive time, but I do want to get to know my daughter."

"And I want to get to know my son." Charlie agreed.

Several hours later we came to an agreement that we all could agree upon. Charlie and Edward would start spending time together as would Carlisle and I. They decided on having an 'open door' policy which would allow Edward to come to Charlie any time and the same applied to me and Carlisle. It seemed to take some of the awkwardness away from the situation.

"Bella, do you think I could have a word alone with Carlisle and Esme?" He asked.

"Sure." I said getting up to leave the living room.

"We'll be in the den." Edward said, grabbing my hand and leading me down the hall.

Once inside the den I was hit with the memories of the last time I was here. I needed to talk to Edward about what he did the other day.

"Edward, I think we need to talk about the other day." I said, looking him straight in the eye.

His eyes widened momentarily before he dropped his head in defeat.

"I owe you an explanation."

"Just one?" I laughed. "What was Carlisle going to do with those pictures?"

"What pictures?" He asked.

"You know," I blushed. "The ones of you and me…"

"Oh…what would Carlisle want with those?" He asked.

"I found them on his computer!" I admitted.

"You have the jump drive?" He said, as if he was relieved. "Oh, thank god. I thought my mom or Carlisle had found it. I've been looking for it everywhere. Wait, how did you get it?"

"It doesn't matter how I got it, what matters is why those pictures were taken to begin with."

"Well, that was your idea." He said as he took a step towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I never would have thought you would have been so adventurous."

"I'm not." I said.

"Right." He chuckled as he started to kiss my neck.

"No, Edward, really. If you hadn't drugged me, I would have never done that." I said, pushing his chest to look him in the face.

"Bella, I didn't mean to hurt you…that's not what I was trying to do." He said, sincerity reflecting in his eyes. "I just wanted to give you something to help you relax. Your so on edge when you're around me I thought that it would help you be yourself more."

"Edward, I'm on edge around you because I like you and I've never been this close to someone before. So much has happened over the past few days between me and you and all our parents. Now I need you to be honest with me. Why would Carlisle want those pictures?"

"Carlisle?" He said taken aback. "He didn't even know about the pictures."

"Then why did I find them on this computer?" I said motioning to the computer on the desk behind him.

"Oh…" He said, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. "Well, my mom was using my laptop and I was down here looking at them and I got a little carried away…I must have left it down here by accident when I went upstairs to…uh…clean up."

"Oh," I said, just as embarrassed for making Edward fess up to jerking off to our pictures.

"So…" He said pulling me close again and kissing my neck. "Where is the jump drive?"

"I destroyed it." I said giggling.

"Oh," He said disappointment dripping in his voice.

"Well, I guess we could always make new ones. You know, this time with me remembering it." I said moaning lightly as he placed more open mouthed kisses down my neck.

He hummed in agreement against my shoulder as his hands lowered to the hem of my dress slowly pulling it up. I could feel him hard against my hip as he found his way to my behind and discovered my black thong.

With a possessive growl, he lifted me up, walked over to the desk and placed me on the edge. He sat in the leather desk chair and palmed his erection as he gazed at me with lust clouded eyes.

"What are you doing?" I panted, wondering why he would start something and then just back off.

"I'm letting you make the decisions, I don't want to overstep again Bella." He admitted honestly.

"Well, you can't just get me all worked up and then stop." I whined.

Chuckling, he stood up finding his way in between my open legs and kissed me passionately. Our kiss quickly deepened as his hands danced along my thighs before he pulled on the edge of my thong. I lifted my hips to allow him to pull my thong off completely and I watched as he pocketed it. I guess that explains where my panties went the other day, I thought.

In no time, his fingers were sliding along my wet slit teasing me. I bucked my hips towards his fingers as he purposely avoided the place I wanted him most. I could feel him smile as our tongues tangled together. On the next pass of his fingers I practically huffed in frustration. Finally he pushed two fingers into my core as I gasped with pleasure.

I began to undo his pants as he continued to finger me, tightening the coil in my stomach. As soon as his pants were undone, he pushed back and sat back down on the chair. With his pants and boxer-briefs around his ankles he wiped his coated fingers along his shaft.

"Come here." He moaned.

I practically hopped off the desk to get to him. When I was standing between his knees he lifted a finger and twirled it around motioning for me to turn around. I did as instructed as he lifted my skirt to my waist and carefully situated my legs on either side of his thighs before slowly pulling me down onto his shaft.

We moaned as our bodies connected and he pulled me back against his chest as he lifted his hips thrusting in and out of me at a slow pace. Increasing my pleasure he added his fingers to my clit.

"Bells!" I heard Charlie call as he approached the office.

"Fuck!" I whisper-yelled.

Before we could blink, the door opened. Luckily Edward and I were blocked by the desk and to the casual observer it appeared that I was just sitting on his lap.

"Time to go kiddo" He said.

"Uh, ok." I said, slowly standing up, earning a hiss from Edward in the process. 'Sorry' I mouthed over my shoulder to Edward.

"Good night kiddo." Charlie called over to Edward as we exited the office. "And remember, our door is always open if you ever need anything."

"Yeah, thanks Charlie. Maybe I'll take you up on that offer some time." He said more to me than Charlie.

When Charlie and I got home, we said our good nights and I quickly headed off to bed making sure to pull out my pink silk night gown to wear to bed in hopes that Edward would make his way through my window at some point tonight.


End file.
